(Updated January 3, 2012.)

Legends of the real-life St. Nicholas from, of all places, present-day Turkey blended with jolly old Father Christmas beginning in the late 19th century to become Santa Claus. Recently, whether it’s Sinterklaas riding a horse on a boat from Spain or Mickey Rooney in the stop-motion animated T.V. special from 1970, we asked Red Roomers to blog about their favorite version of the story that “continues to make glad the heart of childhood.” 

Whether it’s Sinterklaas riding a horse on a boat from Spain or Mickey Rooney in the stop-motion animated T.V. special from 1970, some great posts stood out:

• Author Jim DeFilippi shows how creativity with traditions during tough economic times can create fun and teach serious lessons in his Santa blog "Broccoli at Christmas."
• Christmas traditions blend the sacred and profane, and author Valorie Wells does this spectacularly in her funny poem "No Santa, Only Rudolph!"
• The magic of a childhood encounter with Santa has never really left for member River Jordan, as she shows in "I'm Still Believing."

They'll receive books by Red Room authors:

• Meet Santa and Jesus in Sherrill S. Cannon’s children’s book Santa’s Birthday Gift. Sticking to the facts, Sherrill sets the record straight. 
• The title character in Pamela J. Masi's Peekin' is a two-foot high little mischief maker who tends to get himself into all sorts of trouble around the workshop--especially when it comes to "peekin'" into all the presents before they make it into Santa's sack.
• Remembering Christmas brings together three yuletide stories that evoke the magic of the holidays, the ghosts of past loves and the promises of Christmases yet to come in a warm and sparkling anthology. Frank Anthony Polito's contribution, "A Christmas to Remember" has a protagonist whose request from Santa isn't a what—it's a who.

You can see all the favorite Santa story posts here. Now that the rush of Christmas is past, enjoy a more reflective read and let the writers of your favorite entries know what you liked. All of Red Room's past blog topics are here. Happy New Year, and thanks as always for blogging!

–Huntington W. Sharp, Senior Editor, Red Room