as all religious shit it was invented, changed, and now is distorted so bad no one can tell whats the truth.
truth is, its a legend made up about St Nicolaus.
The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey. Much admired for his piety and kindness, St. Nicholas became the subject of many legends. It is said that he gave away all of his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside helping the poor and sick. One of the best known of the St. Nicholas stories is that he saved three poor sisters from being sold into slavery or prostitution by their father by providing them with a dowry so that they could be married.
http://www.historychannel.com/exhibi...mas/santa.html
there is no red suit man.
santa claus as we know it, was reinvented to make xmas family oriented. read up on it, hallmark loves santa