I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke…

…if for no other reason than to thank the Atlanta-based soft drink giant for giving us the Santa Claus we know and love today.

That jolly elf whose belly is rumored to shake like a bowl of jelly wasn’t always red and round. Much like Wolverine before Hugh Jackman, St. Nick was a more economical size, maybe to better fit down those chimneys.

And, he wore robes.

As a Saint of the Catholic Church, St. Nicholas was depicted in the more traditional robes of gold, red and blue.

When Santa made his way to America in the 19th century he was known to wear fur-trimmed clothing, but in Earth tones or with a patriotic flavor.

Thomas Nast, German-American cartoonist for Harper’s Weekly, is credited with giving Santa his red, fur trimmed suit. It is believed he chose red to contrast with the white snow.

The Santa Claus we know and love today is the by-product of advertising. Artist Haddon Sunblom’s depiction, based on his friend Lou Prentiss, came about in the 1930s.

Sundblom would base many of the characters in his holiday Coca-Cola paintings on those around him. From his neighbor’s daughters to the neighborhood florist’s poodle in 1964.

Here the Man of Steel shows he’s one of Santa’s helpers during his busiest time of the year.

And, if you’re you remember the carbonated nod to an old advertising jingle from the top of the page, I don’t feel so old.