Small Talk: All Things Small
By Martha Puff
A holiday tribute to jolly old St. Nick, these Santas are light-hearted portrayals of the Santa Claus we have come to know and love. It is hoped they will bring a chuckle or two into your day and put a smile on your face. Each figure is unique and lovingly interpreted by the doll artist with warmth and humor. Great care and attention is given to detail. All are 1:12 scale, hand-sculpted, and one-of-a-kind.
Today's popular image of Santa Claus was inspired by Clement Clarke Moore's 1822 poem, "Twas the Night Before Christmas." Moore transformed St. Nicholas into a fairy-tale character -- plump, white-bearded, and "a right jolly old elf."
Cartoons by Thomas Nast in Harper's magazine (1862-1886) enhanced the image of St. Nick as a jovial fellow with a flowing white beard and pipe. Nast's illustrations further depicted Santa as a toymaker with a list of naughty and nice children and a workshop of elves at the North Pole.
In the 1930s, the talented Hadan "Sunny" Sundblom illustrated a series of holiday advertisements for The Coca-Cola Company. For inspiration, Sundblom used Clement Clark Moore's poem to create a warm and plump Santa. Using himself as the model of a grandfatherly Claus, he associated a larger than life, red-and-white garbed Santa Claus with Coca-Cola. For 33 years, Sundblom's popular drawings helped to cement Santa’s modern-day image. His portrayal of Santa is the most popular interpretation in the world today.
Santa Claus has long been recognized as a symbol of love, sharing, and gift-giving during the Christmas holiday season. The image of St. Nicholas flying in a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer carrying gifts for every child is entrenched in our Christmas lore. In Moore’s poem, Santa epitomizes the magical spirit of the holiday season with his closing words, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"
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