Keller @ Large: NORAD Tracks Santa's Long Journey
BOSTON (CBS) – Did you get a chance to follow Santa's Christmas Eve travels online, courtesy of the expert animators and trackers at the North American Aerospace Defense Command – a.k.a. NORAD?
Pretty cool. But the story of Santa hasn't always been so high-tech.
Santa has his roots in the fourth-century story of the gift-giving bishop Saint Nicholas, in the ancient Dutch figure Sinterklaas, and in other legends.
An 1822 poem by a New York college professor was an early account of the modern rituals we associate with Santa's visit. And in 1862 a magazine illustrator named Thomas Nast drew pictures of the Santa we recognize today, documenting his flowing beard, ample girth, and meticulous note-taking on who's been naughty and nice. (Nast would go on to also create the decidedly less-inspirational Democratic donkey and Republican elephant.)
Believe it or not, Santa wasn't always welcome here in New England. The Puritans were put off by pagan celebrations of Santa they saw as sinful, and the Massachusetts legislature once levied a stiff fine for celebrating Christmas.
But times changed. Queen Victoria of Gngland popularized the Christmas tree, and Americans created the custom of sending Christmas cards. The rest is history.
Santa has come a long way, down through the centuries and into your homes. And we still wonder - how do those reindeer keep it up all night long without a rest?
