<P> In Finland they still use Joulupukki or the Christmas Goat . </P> <P> Pre-modern representations of the gift - giver from Church history and folklore, notably St Nicholas (known in Dutch as Sinterklaas), merged with the English character Father Christmas to create the character known to Americans and the rest of the English - speaking world as "Santa Claus" (a phonetic derivation of "Sinterklaas"). </P> <P> In the English and later British colonies of North America, and later in the United States, British and Dutch versions of the gift - giver merged further . For example, in Washington Irving's History of New York (1809), Sinterklaas was Americanized into "Santa Claus" (a name first used in the American press in 1773) but lost his bishop's apparel, and was at first pictured as a thick - bellied Dutch sailor with a pipe in a green winter coat . Irving's book was a lampoon of the Dutch culture of New York, and much of this portrait is his joking invention . </P> <P> In 1821, the book A New - year's present, to the little ones from five to twelve was published in New York . It contained Old Santeclaus with Much Delight, an anonymous poem describing Santeclaus on a reindeer sleigh, bringing presents to children . Some modern ideas of Santa Claus seemingly became canon after the anonymous publication of the poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas" (better known today as "The Night Before Christmas") in the Troy, New York, Sentinel on 23 December 1823; Clement Clarke Moore later claimed authorship, though some scholars argue that Henry Livingston, Jr. (who died nine years before Moore's claim) was the author . St. Nick is described as being "chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf" with "a little round belly", that "shook when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly", in spite of which the "miniature sleigh" and "tiny reindeer" still indicate that he is physically diminutive . The reindeer were also named: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder and Blixem (Dunder and Blixem came from the old Dutch words for thunder and lightning, which were later changed to the more German sounding Donner and Blitzen). </P>

When did the legend of santa claus begin