What is the relationship between Jesus Christ and Santa Claus?

The following article was obtained from Quora.com and written by Jon Davis, American Southern Baptist.  

What is the relationship between Jesus Christ and Santa Claus?     

They are definitely related. 

So first let's talk Santa and why most people think he is just a big myth. One story I sadly remember is of my nephew. When he was three he informed us that Santa Claus wasn't real. His Neanderthal daddy told him that, (please read with a white trash accent) ”We don’t worship pagan symbols ’round here.” 

Well as the good uncle I sat my nephew down and reaffirmed to him that no, Santa Claus was not a pagan and he is indeed real.

At the very least he was indeed a real person. He actually did go by the name of Nicholas, his Greek name when he was a monk in the early Christian church around what is today Myra, Turkey. He lived in the 300′s and became famous for his great acts of charity. One story speaks of him giving dowries to three young, pious, impoverished girls so that they could be wed, and not go into other forms of lifestyle. Another speaks of him saving three wrongly prosecuted men from being put to death. For these and other reasons he was made a saint in the church. 

In his native home of Myra there is the first church dedicated to Saint Nicholas and many more have risen in Europe since the 7th century. Some historical accounts have him present at the Council of Nicaea which was convened to discuss the deity and co-eternality of Jesus as part of the Trinity–God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit being co-equal. 

It is reported that as Arius asserted the heretical teaching that Jesus was less than God the Father, Nicholas became so agitated that he crossed the room and slapped Arius across the face! Not exactly the Santa we have grown to know, but from this we can assert that the real St. Nick upon whom our modern Santa Claus is based was an ardent defender of the orthodox view of Jesus Christ as fully God and fully man. 

He is also considered the patron saint of children and many others, like sailors (odd combo). His uniform is also of Christian decent as it is an evolution of the canonical robes worn by later Christian cardinals.

Add to this there is also the very real incorporation of some pagan elements. In many renditions he is seen as being a naturalist, hermit or general merry man. We can see these some of the pagan gods like Bacchus, the Roman god who was basically the party god. The reindeer are also reminiscent of the Norse god Odin. 

As Christianity spread, it absorbed the ideas and heroes of the people and cultures that came with it. Ironically, the real Nicholas himself participated in the most important meeting to ensure that this sort of thing did not happen to our understanding of Jesus and God, which he did well.

How all this turned into a strange man essentially breaking into the homes of little children to give presents in return for good deeds and tasty treats and an odd name change I can only guess, but I can promise you that Santa Claus is real. So be good for goodness sake.

So the relationship is that St. Nicholas was a Christian monk who worshiped Jesus. They both practiced and taught the importance of charity and forgiveness. He believed in Jesus and fought vehemently for the early Christian church to better understand him, even though today he is one of the most misunderstood characters in all of history.

Thanks for reading!

For more answers like this, check out The Modern Christian by Jon Davis.