Speak English Now through mini-stories with teacher Georgiana

Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Today I would like to share with you five fun facts about Santa Claus. And with a fun mini-story, I will help you improve your English fluency. You just have to answer some simple questions, as if we had an informal English conversation.

There are so many things I love about Christmas. I love baking Christmas cookies, watching Christmas movies, buying presents, and decorating the tree. And let's not forget about Father Christmas, Santa Claus.

I hope you're having a great Christmas this year. 

1. Is Santa Claus real?

Yes, of course. Santa Claus is real. The real name of Santa Claus was Saint Nicholas, but he was also known as Kris Kringle. Saint Nicholas was born in modern-day Turkey. After donating all his inherited wealth, he became famous for helping the poor and sick. Over the years, he became popular for his deeds and became known as the protector of children. In many countries, on December 6, people still celebrate Saint Nicholas Day. And this day was considered a lucky day to make large purchases or for marriage purposes.

2. Why is Father Christmas known as Santa Claus?

St. Nicholas became known as Santa Claus after his Dutch nickname, Sintar Klaas. In the 18th century, a New York Historical Society member distributed woodcuts of St. Nicholas at the society's annual meeting. On the other hand, Washington Irving, the author of the book The History of New York, further popularized the tales of Sintar Klaas by referring to St. Nicholas as the patron saint of New York in his book.

3. How old is Santa?

Santa Claus' origins go back to a monk named St. Nicholas, born between 260 and 280 AD in a village called Patara, part of modern-day Turkey. So in 2021, Santa Claus is about 1750 years old. That’s amazing! :)

4. Who created the image of Santa Claus?

One of the first artists to define the modern image of Santa Claus was Thomas Nast. This 19th century American cartoonist immortalized Santa Claus with an illustration for the January 3, 1863 issue of Harper's Weekly. Santa was dressed in an American flag and riding in a sleigh pulled by reindeer in this drawing.

5. Is it true that Santa traditionally wears red because of Coca‑Cola?

Many believe that Santa Claus wears red because of Coca-Cola. Although there is no doubt that the soft drink company has influenced the representation of Santa Claus, the fact is that Saint Nicholas appeared in many illustrations and written descriptions wearing a scarlet coat.

Well, I hope you enjoyed learning these 5 fun facts about Santa Claus. Now let’s continue with a mini-story.

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