St Nicholas vs Santa Claus: What Is the Difference?
St Nicholas vs Santa Claus: what is the difference? St Nicholas was a real bishop who lived in the 4th century in what is now Turkey, and his feast day is 6 December. Santa Claus is the legend that grew out of him, mostly in New York in the early 1800s, and he arrives on Christmas Eve. In Australia there is a third name in the mix: Father Christmas, the old British figure who merged with Santa.123
So when your child asks why Santa is also called St Nick, or why a friend at school puts shoes out in early December, the answer is a long family tree. Australia has more branches of it than most places, because so many communities brought their own version.
St Nicholas and Santa in numbers
St Nicholas, Santa Claus and Father Christmas at a glance
| St Nicholas | Santa Claus | Father Christmas | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who he is | A real bishop of Myra, a saint | A legend that grew out of the saint | An old English figure, the spirit of Christmas |
| Big day | 6 December (shoes out on 5 December) | Night of 24 December | Christmas Eve, as the same gift-giver today |
| Looks | Bishop's robes, tall mitre, staff | Red suit, white beard, sleigh | Hooded robe and holly, now often red like Santa |
| Gifts | Sweets and small treats in shoes | Stockings and under the tree | Same as Santa since about the 1870s |
| Weather | Northern winter | Snow, North Pole | Winter, but sent a long way south by the Victorians |
Who was St Nicholas?
Nicholas was born in Patara and became bishop of Myra, both in what is today southern Turkey. Tradition dates his death to 6 December 343. He is the patron saint of sailors and children, among many others.1
His most famous story explains a lot about Santa. A poor father could not pay a dowry for his three daughters, so Nicholas secretly tossed gold through their window at night. Secret gifts in the dark: that is the seed of every Christmas Eve since.1
How the saint became Santa Claus
The name "Santa Claus" comes from Sinterklaas, the Dutch form of St Nicholas. In the Netherlands he is still a separate figure: he arrives by steamboat from Spain in mid-November, wears a bishop's mitre and brings gifts on the evening of 5 December.6 The look and the sleigh came later, in New York, where the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (1823) gave him eight reindeer, a trip down the chimney and a round belly.4
Curious which reindeer pulls the sleigh first? Have a look at Santa's reindeer names, and for the red suit story, Did Coca-Cola invent Santa?
Father Christmas: the British side of Australia's Santa
Australia's most common ancestries in the 2021 Census were English (33%) and Australian (29.9%), followed by Irish (9.5%) and Scottish (8.6%),7 so it is no surprise that "Father Christmas" is still a familiar name here, especially for older generations.
Father Christmas is older than Santa and was never a saint. The St Nicholas Center describes him as the personification of Christmas, not a real person, and says he first brought no gifts at all. Dickens's Ghost of Christmas Present is "probably Father Christmas."3 After English Puritans tried to abolish Christmas in 1643, he faded; he returned after the Restoration in 1660.3
Then Santa Claus arrived from America. England had lost its own St Nicholas gift-giver, so by the 1870s Father Christmas had become the gift-giver and came to function just like the American Santa Claus.3 Settlers carried that merged figure to the colonies, where Christmas fell in the heat of summer. They adapted quickly and moved many festivities outdoors, while the roast dinner and the Christmas tree largely stayed.8 For how Santa copes with that heat today, see our guide to an Aussie summer Christmas with Santa.
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1087 | Sailors carry most of St Nicholas's remains to Bari, Italy |
| 1643 | English Puritans try to wipe out Christmas, and Father Christmas fades |
| 1823 | "A Visit from St. Nicholas" gives Santa his sleigh and reindeer |
| 1870s | In Britain, Father Christmas becomes a gift-giver just like Santa |
| 1951 | Dutch club in Melbourne reports on Sinterklaas in the Dutch Australian Weekly |
St Nicholas Day in Australian communities
St Nicholas Day is not a public event in Australia, but it is alive in several communities, usually in the first week of summer.
Dutch Australians and Sinterklaas
The Dutch Australian Cultural Centre keeps clippings from the Dutch Australian Weekly showing Sinterklaas reports from Melbourne in 1951 and Sydney in 1952, and later parties in Springvale (1966), Bankstown (1975), Newcastle (1994) and Toronto in New South Wales (1998). A Brisbane club still had a Sinterklaas and a Piet in 2022.9 Dutch families usually celebrate on the evening of 5 December with shoes by the fireplace, sweets and small presents.6
German Nikolaus in shoes and classrooms
Germans in Australia celebrate Nikolaus on 6 December, and SBS German has asked families how they keep the day here.10 It also reaches schools. At Concordia College in Adelaide, Reception children left their shoes out after school on 5 December 2022 and found traditional treats in them the next morning.11
Greek Orthodox Agios Nikolaos
About 425,000 Australians (1.6%) declared Greek ancestry in the 2021 Census.5 For Greek Orthodox families 6 December is the feast of Agios Nikolaos, protector of travellers and sailors, marked on 6 December.12 It is a church day more than a gift day, and it shows how the saint stayed himself while Santa went off on his own.
How to explain the difference to your kids
For young children, keep it simple: St Nicholas was a kind man who lived long ago and gave gifts in secret. Santa Claus (or Father Christmas, if that is what Nan says) carries on that idea at Christmas. Older kids often enjoy the history, and the real saint is a gentle bridge when they start asking bigger questions. Our article Is Santa real? has ideas for that talk.
If you want to try the custom yourself, keep it small: shoes at the door on 5 December with a mandarin, a few chocolate coins and a note. It suits a hot Australian December just fine, as long as the chocolate stays out of the sun.
Cite this article
Want to use this comparison in class or on your website? Feel free to link to it:
<a href="https://videofromsanta.com.au/blog/st-nicholas-vs-santa-claus/">St Nicholas vs Santa Claus: what is the difference?</a>
St Nicholas and Santa Claus: frequently asked questions
Is Father Christmas the same as Santa Claus in Australia?
Today, yes. Australians use both names for the same man in the red suit. Father Christmas is the older British figure, and by the 1870s he had become a gift-giver who functions just like the American Santa Claus.
When is St Nicholas Day in Australia?
6 December, the same date as everywhere else, and it falls in early summer here. Families who keep the custom put shoes out on the evening of 5 December.
Do Australians celebrate St Nicholas Day?
Not as a national event, but some communities do. Dutch clubs have held Sinterklaas parties since at least the early 1950s, German families and schools put shoes out for Nikolaus, and Greek Orthodox parishes mark the saint's feast day on 6 December.
Where does the name Santa Claus come from?
From Sinterklaas, the Dutch name for St Nicholas. It turned into "Santa Claus" in New York over time.
Why does Santa wear a red suit in an Australian summer?
Because the suit comes from the northern story, with its bishop's robes and winter furs. The red suit is part of the legend, wherever he lands.
Was St Nicholas a real person?
Yes. Nicholas was bishop of Myra in what is now Turkey, and tradition dates his death to 6 December 343. Santa Claus, by contrast, is a legend.
Sources
- 1Wikipedia: Saint Nicholas (wikipedia.org)
- 2St Nicholas Center: Origin of Santa Claus (stnicholascenter.org)
- 3St Nicholas Center: Father Christmas (stnicholascenter.org)
- 4HISTORY: "A Visit From St. Nicholas" poem first published (history.com)
- 5Greek Herald: Census 2021, less people speak Greek at home (2022) (greekherald.com.au)
- 6Wikipedia: Sinterklaas (wikipedia.org)
- 7Australian Multicultural Foundation: first release of 2021 Census data (amf.net.au)
- 8State Library of South Australia: Heat of a colonial Christmas (slsa.sa.gov.au)
- 9Dutch Australian Cultural Centre: Sinterklaas celebrations at Dutch clubs in Australia (2023) (dutchaustralianculturalcentre.com.au)
- 10SBS German: What do Germans do at Nikolaus in Australia? (6 Dec. 2018) (sbs.com.au)
- 11Concordia College (Adelaide): Reception German St Nikolaus Tag celebration (Dec. 2022) (concordia.sa.edu.au)
- 12Greek City Times: Feast day of Agios Nikolaos (6 Dec. 2025) (greekcitytimes.com)