A History of St. Nicholas and Other Holiday Gift-Bringers
Tom A. Jerman, Author
Tom Jerman’s extensive knowledge of jolly old St. Nick revealed itself in a big way when what was meant to be a brief introductory chapter in his manuscript on collecting figurines grew to more than 250 pages. “My editor and I concluded that it made much more sense to complete the history as a thorough, stand-alone history of Santa Claus—broadly defined to include all of the mid-winter gift-givers—and to return to the collector’s guide after the history was published,” says Jerman.
Since 1985, Jerman’s collection of figurines and ornaments depicting legendary gift-givers from all over the world has grown to more than 4,500 pieces. With the diversity of likenesses, he is hard-pressed to name a favorite. “The $7.95 Mr. Potato Head Santa is as interesting as the thousand-dollar Christopher Radko Belsnickle,” he says.”
Of the legendary figures he has encountered through the years, however, some have special appeal, including Santeclaus, America’s first Santa; Knecht Ruprecht, an 18th-century German gift-giver; and Old Christmas, also called Father or Sir Christmas, and known, says Jerman, “primarily for the amount of alcohol he seemed to consume.”
Santa Claus Worldwide: A History of St. Nicholas and Other Holiday Gift-Bringers, May, 2020, history, paperback, $39.95, by Tom A. Jerman, and published by McFarland & Company, Jefferson, NC. The second book in Jerman’s trilogy, a study of authorship of “The Night Before Christmas,” is forthcoming. The collector’s guide will complete the series.
