OK, I know we’re getting a little post heavy on the Santa and the Christmas and the ho ho ho, but deal with it–it’s Christmas time for God’s sake. You know, the time to celebrate America’s love for overabundance and electricity and lights and trees in houses and presents and good freakin’ beer. Oh, and Jesus being born. That’s probably involved somehow, too.

Anyway, despite some of the stranger posts we’ve had lately, today’s article from Joe Sixpack (how I wish this was a real name) explores the historical connection between Santa, a/k/a St. Nicholas, f/k/a The Big Guy in Red and beer. Not just by the beers Santa has named after him, but historically. And Santa’s had quite a journey.

In fact, from the very beginning, Santa Claus was a man of drink.

His alter ego is Nicholas of Myra, a fourth-century Turkish do-gooder who was venerated as St. Nicholas, the ancient patron of assorted riffraff, including prostitutes, lawyers and, yes, brewers.

St. Nick eventually morphed into Santa Claus, the fat, jolly, pipe-smoking elf popularized by Clement Moore’s “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” Shortly after Thomas Nast illustrated Santa’s image for Harpers Weekly in 1863, advertisers began using him to shill everything, from shoes to cigars to, yes, suds.

In 1900, one magazine advertisement proclaimed, “Wherever children look for Santa Claus, Schlitz beer is known as the standard.” Around the same time, Consumers Brewing assured drinkers in newspaper ads that, while “Santa Claus himself is reluctant to give away our beer . . . we have plenty to go ’round.”

And so it went, from the Clydesdales pulling a sleigh full of Budweiser to Spuds Mackenzie dressed in a red Santa suit.

The article also goes on to describe some of the troubles Santa’s had with his image connected to beer during prohibition, and whether certain groups think it’s responsible for a man so loved by young children to be a borderline beer snob.

Joe also talks about trying to get a hold of real Santa and asking him what he’d drink this time of year. I think Santa’s answer is a good one.

“Like we say at the North Pole,” he replied when I asked his favorite. “I’m making a list.”

Check out the article here. It really is a great read and the historical connections between the Big Red Guy and beer are rather strong. Happy drinking, Santa.

(Via Philly.com)