The tradition began in present day Turkey with stories of Saint Nicholas, the generous bishop who helped the poor. The Dutch calledshim Sinterklaas and children expected gifts on his feast day December 6th. “Santa Claus” is derived from the Dutch name for Saint Nicholas.
Because Santa comes late at night there have been few reliable sightings. Early accounts filtered into Massachusetts from New York. In 1809 Washington Irving described an airborne Santa flying over the scene in a wagon.