Sorry for asking after Christmas. Its a little anticlimactic
I read an article just last month that demonstrated much of the Santa Claus legend comes from Norse mythology. It included much of the Christmas tree tradition and Sinter Klaas. I have never heard of it being attributed to the Celts.
Sinter Klaas = Dutch?
His red coat can attributed to Coca-Cola from a 1930’s Christmas advertisement
Here is an interesting take from the New York Times on Vimeo (6 minutes) Santa is a Psychedelic Mushroom . It is the first time I’d heard this.