The world is madness.
Terry isn't just cool, he's schway.
The one you know, actually. :3 Saint Nicholas was, well, a saint from Turkey. He had a couple of miracles attributed to him, mainly involving some sort of injustice towards children. Hence he became the patron saint of children (and some other stuff) Around these parts he's been celebrated for at least 400 years (though it has changed throughout time) on the 6th of December. In the past he brought only chocolates and sweets (cookies resembling gingerbread, but not the same), since WWII he also brought toys. Sinterklaas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
While not everyone agrees, it's generally thought that Christmas' Santa Claus might be a mutation of the original celebration (combined with the already existing Christmas) created by the European settlers in America.
I don't know when it started, but over here we celebrate both of them. So twice during December we get gifts. The first is mainly for children, but I'm 26 and today my grandparents gave my mom some money for me. I doubt I'm alone in this.
(I haven't read it in full, but if you look at that article, beware that you might encounter some ugliness with racist conotations. It's been a controversy for a while now)