20 Santa Coloring Pages
Santa Claus is based partly on Saint Nicholas, a bishop in what is now Turkey who was known for secret gifts, and partly on the Dutch Sinterklaas tradition that came to New York. The red suit, round belly and sleigh became familiar through an 1823 poem, "A Visit from St. Nicholas," and later magazine and advertising art. These pages show Santa busy with his whole Christmas Eve routine. He waves from a chimney, climbs a ladder on the roof, reads his list, rides in his sleigh, and stacks up presents, stockings and plates of cookies. There are also tall designs with a bell tower and a candle lantern, plus two cartoon versions with extra round, simple shapes. The beard and fur trim are great places to practice leaving white space, or to use a light gray for shadows. Many pages are stacked vertically, so kids can work from top to bottom. Preschoolers can start with the cute versions, while the roof and sleigh scenes suit kids who enjoy more details.
