Why Does Santa Wear a Red Suit?

Individuals who celebrate Christmas are familiar with the traditional image of Santa Claus in a red suit; but, there is no one definitive origin for Santa's red suit.

Fantastic tales exist about why Santa wears a red suit, and perhaps you want to tell some of them to your children. The most popular versions include:

• The elves designed and sewed the first red suit for Santa.
• The first Santa was Saint Nicholas, a Catholic priest, who wore a bishop's robe of red, white and gold.
• Coca Cola designed the red suit as part of their advertising campaign.

Elves Designed the Red Suit

One of the more recent explanations comes from the beloved Rankin Bass claymation film, Santa Claus is Coming to Town. The witty and charming mailman tells us that Santa's red suit came from the Kringles and the elves who sewed it for him before he made his first expedition into town with gifts.

Saint Nicholas and the Red Bishop's Robe

If you are familiar with Santa Claus, then you are probably familiar with Saint Nicholas as well. Individuals who never heard of Saint Nicholas before might want to do some research. He is a very important figure in the modern day Christmas. He was a Catholic priest who later became a bishop. He also helped the less fortunate throughout his life, which is where the concept of gift giving comes from.

During that time period, which was in the middle of the fourth century A.D., bishops frequently wore red, white, and gold. The bishop's robe is often believed to be the forerunner to Santa's red suit.

Coca Cola Misconception

Even though Saint Nicholas wore red, pictures of Santa Claus dressed in red, blue, purple, and green circulated until the end of the 19th century. People have claimed that Coca Cola coined the image of Santa in the red suit, and many people believe this myth. They say that around 1940, since Coca Cola was using Santa as a major icon, the major colors of Santa became red and white. However, he had adorned those colors for a long time before that period and so Coca Cola may not be the primary reason that Santa wears a red suit.