As an Associate Broker in real estate I have often ponder why Santa Clause, Father Christmas and other namesakes would live at the North Pole. In Real Estate, we are taught location, location, location. So this would seem to me not a great area to invest in real estate.
Now a child it make perfect sense to live at the North Pole. The cold would keep the candy fresher longer, right? There are other stories that has Santa aka: Father Christmas living in very cold areas other than the North Pole. So I did some research and here is what I found out.
There are quite a few countries that claim Santa comes from their land, but where is he actually from? It all depends on who you ask, but one thing is clear: Santa lives in the North Pole. So let’s go over all the possibilities!
Some speculate that with at least seven countries claiming Santa, he must have homes all over the world. Others are of the view that there may be a lot of posers out there, but only one winner. As we all know that Real Estate is a sound and long term investment. Maybe Santa is on to something here.
REAL ESTATE 101:
North Pole Vs Turkey:
The origins of Santa Claus can be traced back to Saint Nicholas of Myra, a fourth-century saint who lived not in the North Pole, but in a Roman town now in Turkey.
Saint Nicholas had strong beliefs in the principles of Christianity and an affinity for giving gifts. His generosity made him famous — especially among sailors during the height of Saint Nicholas’s giving. Sailors spread the story of Saint Nicholas’s generosity throughout the world and gave hope to those in need.
Originally Santa lived in Turkey, yes you heard me correctly, Turkey. Santa’s move from Turkey to the Arctic is credited to the German-born American cartoonist Thomas Nast. Nast submitted a total of 33 drawings depicting Christmas to Harper’s Weekly from 1863 to 1886. Though many artists drew Saint Nicholas, in the December 1866 issue of Harper’s Weekly, Nast created the beginnings of a more robust and jolly version of Santa.
Before Nast’s design, Santa was shown in many different forms. But he changed the way we saw St. Nick forever: He gave us Santa’s workshop and the large book of naughty and nice children to watch over. (You can credit Nast for your child’s change in behavior during the month of December.)
During the 1840s and 1850s there were several expeditions to the Arctic, which gained worldwide media attention.
The Arctic had become a famous and fabled location. A location where it snowed all year round and could be understood as a respite for a creature that is always associated with the cold. Snow had become a universal symbol of Christmas cheer and to Nast and his followers it only made sense for Santa to live with Christmas cheer every day of the year.
Nast’s publications celebrated the idea that the North Pole was still an untouched story. The North Pole was just as much of a fantasy as Saint Nicholas, as no one would claim to have conquered the journey to the Pole until 1909, when Robert Peary received the honor.
Even more, he gave his new mythical Santa a home. Nast’s illustration of the North Pole is part of the legend we all know today. Children adored his images and kept up the fantasies.
No one knew what the North Pole contained, so why couldn’t Santa and his reindeer be hiding at the top of the world?
Though Nast did give us much of Santa’s jolly behavior, Santa’s reindeer had already been a part of the tale, thanks to Clement C. Moore’s 1823 poem, "A Visit from Saint Nicholas" or what we know today as, “The Night Before Christmas.” It was easy enough for Nast to make the leap that reindeer, which live in cold places like Finland, could survive in the frozen terrain of the Arctic.
The American story of Santa Claus is deeply rooted in our history: Our connection to the North Pole is based on what information we knew about the world at the time.
Though we now know exactly what lies at the North Pole and that its biggest claim to fame is it’s the most northern point on the Earth’s axis of rotation, we continue to tell our children, nieces and nephews to write and send their letters to the far North.
Lapland:
While some believe Santa’s residence to be the North Pole, others say his residence is in Korvatunturi in Lapland. It’s long been imagined Santa and Mrs Claus share a home here, and Santa has his workshop in the same location where his elves make all of the Christmas toys. In fact, children from all over the world visit Lapland every year to visit Santa.
With temperatures dipping as low as -45C, Lapland is like a Winter Wonderland. This part of Finland is located in the Arctic Circle and stretches across the northern part of Norway, Sweden, Finland and parts of Russia. There is an average of 34,500 reindeer in the region, offering plenty of options for Santa’s travel, in case Rudolph the Red-nosed reindeer isn’t up for the long trek. Lapland also offers snow year-round and dark polar nights, perfect for Santa to get a good night’s rest and of course, motivation for delivering presents to the sunnier parts of the world.
According to the Christmas experts in Finland, Santa Claus resides in Rovaniemi, or better known as “Santa Claus Village”. Here, visitors can take a tour of Santa’s office, have a letter delivered to Santa at the post office and watch the elves work in the gift shop.
Lapland is nice, but perhaps Santa Claus simply does not have enough snow in Lapland for his kingdom. This is where the North Pole comes in. Okay, so maybe it is a rumor started by the Christmas fans in America, who suspect Santa Claus would naturally reside in the North Pole, where it is very cold. Reindeer may be a bit chilly, but this could be where Santa Claus really lives.
Greenland:
The Danish might have a clearer thought of where Santa lives. They suspect he lives close to the city of Uummannaq, where he lives in a little house by the sea with lots of meadows for his reindeers to stay nourished and strong for the present delivery journey ahead.
Conclusion:
The exact whereabouts of Santa Claus may be a bit unclear to us all, but perhaps Santa, like the spirit of Christmas, lives within each of us. In the end, all we have to do is believe. How about you; where do you think Santa Claus lives?
Comments(3)