title: Watford F.C.

text: Up until Findlay's departure in 1947, Watford had been managed by five managers in 44 years, all of whom played for the team. By contrast, six men managed the club between 1947 and 1956, only two of whom were former Watford players. After a further three years under McBain between 1956 and 1959, Watford's following three managers presided over improved teams. Ron Burgess led Watford to promotion from the Fourth Division in 1959–60. Bill McGarry was only in charge for one full season (1963–64), but Watford recorded a finish of third in the Third Division, the club's highest Football League finish until that point. His successor Ken Furphy matched that achievement in 1966–67, and led Watford to the Third Division title in 1969, before taking the club to its first FA Cup semi-final in 1970. Following Furphy's departure in 1971, Watford entered a period of decline, experiencing relegation under subsequent managers George Kirby and Mike Keen.


title: Watford F.C.

text: Graham Taylor took charge of Watford in 1977. He led the club to promotion to the Third Division in 1978, the Second Division in 1979, and the First Division for the first time in Watford's history in 1982. After a second-placed finish in the First Division in 1983, Watford competed in European competition for the first time in 1983–84, as well as reaching the 1984 FA Cup final. Taylor left the club at the end of 1986–87. Under the six subsequent permanent managers (Dave Bassett, Steve Harrison, Colin Lee, Steve Perryman, Glenn Roeder and Kenny Jackett), Watford slid from 9th in the top tier in 1987, to 13th in the third tier in 1997. Taylor returned as manager for the start of the 1997–98 season. He led the club to consecutive promotions, but could not prevent relegation from the Premier League in 1999–2000. Since Taylor's retirement in 2001, Watford have had twelve managers. Of these, Aidy Boothroyd took Watford back to the Premier League in 2006, but Watford were relegated in 2007, and Boothroyd departed in 2008.


title: Watford F.C.

text: Following Watford's takeover by the Pozzo family, Gianfranco Zola was appointed head coach, replacing former centre back Sean Dyche in July 2012. Zola took Watford to third position in the Championship in 2012–13 but resigned on 16 December 2013. He was replaced by fellow Italian Beppe Sannino in December 2013. Sannino guided the team to a final league position of 13th.


title: Watford F.C.

text: Despite winning four of the first five league matches of the 2014/15 season, and with Watford sitting in 2nd place, Sannino's position had become the subject of much speculation following rumours of dressing-room unrest and some players taking a dislike to his style of management. Sannino resigned from his position as head coach on 31 August 2014 after just over eight months in charge. His final game in charge was a 4–2 win at home to Huddersfield Town the day before.


title: Watford F.C.

text: Sannino's departure initiated a bizarre sequence of events which led to Watford having three further head coaches in little more than a month. On 2 September, Watford confirmed the appointment of former Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Óscar García as the successor to Sannino, beating off competition from fellow Championship side Leeds United for his services. García, however, resigned from his position on 29 September 2014 for health reasons, having been admitted to hospital with chest pains a couple of weeks prior. Billy McKinlay, who had only been appointed first team coach on 26 September 2014, was appointed as his immediate successor on the same day – his first position in management. A week later, McKinlay was released by mutual consent and former Partizan coach Slaviša Jokanović appointed in his place, apparently because the club favoured a head coach with greater experience.


title: Watford F.C.

text: On 4 June 2015, Quique Sánchez Flores was announced as the new head coach as the replacement to Jokanović, who had failed to agree contract terms. Despite going on to lead the newly promoted Watford to a comfortable mid-table position in the Premier League and the semi-final of the FA Cup, it was announced on 13 May 2016 that Sánchez Flores would be leaving the club at the end of the season.


title: Watford F.C.

text: Following Sánchez Flores's departure, Walter Mazzarri was announced as Watford's head coach starting on 1 July 2016.


title: Watford F.C.

text: On 21 January 2018, Javi Gracia was appointed as head coach following Silva's departure. Gracia has been met with widespread praise since his appointment after a successful 2018–19 Premier League campaign which saw Watford finish with their highest points tally ever in English Premier League football.


title: Watford F.C.

text: After a disappointing start to the 2019–20 season, Javi Gracia was sacked and replaced by previous manager Quique Sánchez Flores. Then Quique Sánchez Flores was fired again after a 2–1 loss to Southampton on 1 December. On 6 December 2019, Nigel Pearson agreed to take manager's job, with Craig Shakespeare as his assistant, on a short-term contract to the end of the season. He was sacked on 19 July 2020 with two games to go with Hayden Mullins appointed as interim coach until the end of the season.


title: Watford F.C.

text: In the 2020-21 season, there were two more coaches, beginning with Vladimir Ivic, and followed by Xisco Munoz, who ultimately steered Watford towards promotion to the Premier League. Xisco continued to coach the team for the 2021-22 Premier League campaign until October 2021, and was subsequently followed by Claudio Ranieri from October 2021 to January 2022. Former England manager Roy Hodgson took hold of the reigns from February 2022 until the season's end, where Watford finished in 19th place and were relegated from the Premier League. Rob Edwards was announced as the new manager for the 2022-23 EFL Championship Season, but was released by the club in September 2022 after 11 games in charge. Slaven Bilić was announced as his replacement on an 18-month contract.


title: Watford F.C.

text: Striker Luther Blissett holds the record for Watford appearances, having played 503 matches in all competitions between 1976 and 1992, and his 415 appearances in The Football League during the same period is also a club record. Blissett holds the corresponding goalscoring records, with 186 career Watford goals, 148 of which were in the league. The records for the most league goals in a season is held by Cliff Holton, having scored 42 goals in the 1959–60 season. The highest number of goals scored by a player in a single game at a professional level is the six registered by Harry Barton against Wycombe Wanderers in September 1903.


title: Watford F.C.

text: Watford's biggest ever competitive win came in 1900, when the team defeated Maidenhead 11–0 in the Southern League Second Division. The team's biggest Football League winning margin is 8–0; this first occurred in a Third Division South match against Newport County in 1924, and was repeated in a First Division match against Sunderland in 1982. Both of these matches were at home – Watford have won an away league match by five goals on six occasions, most recently in the 6–1 win against Leeds United at Elland Road in 2012. The most goals scored in a Football League game involving Watford is 11, in Watford's 7–4 victories against Swindon Town, Torquay United and Burnley in 1934, 1937 and 2003 respectively.


title: Watford F.C.

text: The club's highest home attendance is 34,099, for a fourth round FA Cup match against Manchester United on 3 February 1969. The record home league attendance is 27,968 against Queens Park Rangers in August of the same year. Watford's home capacity has since been reduced due to all-seater requirements; it currently stands at 21,577.


title: Melissa Benoist

text: Melissa Marie Benoist ( ; born October 4, 1988) is an American actress, singer and producer. Her first major role was Marley Rose on the Fox musical comedy drama "Glee" (2012–2014), where she was a series regular during the fifth season. She rose to widespread prominence for portraying the title character on the CBS / CW superhero series "Supergirl" (2015–2021), along with related media in the Arrowverse franchise.


title: Melissa Benoist

text: Benoist's film appearances include the psychological drama "Whiplash" (2014), the comedy drama "Danny Collins" (2015), the crime comedy "Band of Robbers" (2015), the romantic Western "The Longest Ride" (2015), the action thriller "Patriots Day" (2016), the drama "Lowriders" (2016), and the comedy drama "Sun Dogs" (2017). She also portrayed the wife of cult leader David Koresh on the Paramount Network miniseries "Waco" (2018). On stage, Benoist made her Broadway debut in 2018 as Carole King in the jukebox musical "".


title: Melissa Benoist

text: Benoist was born in Houston, Texas, to Julie and Jim Benoist, a physician. They divorced when she was thirteen years old. Her paternal great-grandfather was of French descent. She has two sisters: Jessica, a novelist, and Kristina, an ecological scientist, and five half-siblings from her father's remarriage. She was raised mostly by her mother in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado, after her parents' separation. Growing up in Colorado, a large part of her childhood was spent exploring national parks and immersing herself in nature.


title: Melissa Benoist

text: She started dance classes at the age of three, focusing on jazz, ballet, and tap. When she was four years old, her aunt put her in a church play she was directing; after that, she began doing community children's theatre in her hometown.


title: Melissa Benoist

text: As a teenager, Benoist performed anonymously at Disneyland in various medleys of musical songs for three summers with the Academy of Theatre Arts, a musical theatre school she was attending, located in Littleton, Colorado, run by Paul Dwyer and Alann Worley. She performed locally in a number of theatrical productions, including "A Month in the Country", "Cinderella", "A Chorus Line", and "Bye Bye Birdie" at the Town Hall Arts Center, a professional theatre located in the Denver metro area. Instead of attending high school graduation parties, she performed the play "Evita" with other cast members at the former Country Dinner Playhouse.


title: Melissa Benoist

text: In 2006, "The Denver Post" named Benoist one of Colorado's five "Can't Miss Kids". She graduated from Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colorado, in 2007, and then moved to New York City to pursue a career in musical theatre. She initially attended Marymount Manhattan College for the BFA musical theatre program but in her sophomore year, she switched majors to theatre, due to her admiration for 19th-century Russian plays. She graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts in 2011. While attending college, she played Millie Dilmount in an urban off-off-Broadway production of "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and Rosalind in "As You Like It" at the Theresa Lang Theatre.


title: Melissa Benoist

text: Benoist's first film was "Tennessee" in 2008 along with singer Mariah Carey. Afterwards, she made guest appearances on shows like "", "Blue Bloods", "Homeland", and "The Good Wife", while attending college. She played Kelly in the 2011 Goodspeed Musicals theatrical production of "The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown" by Bree Lowdermilk and Kait Kerrigan at the Norma Terris Theatre.


title: Melissa Benoist

text: In May 2012, she auditioned for the musical comedy-drama series "Glee" in New York at the Roundabout Theatre Company, singing a different song for each of her five auditions including: "Fidelity" by Regina Spektor, "King of Anything" by Sara Bareilles, a Colbie Caillat song, and several musical theatre pieces. In July, she had two screen tests in California for series creator/writer, Ryan Murphy, the casting directors, and executive producers. She portrayed Marley Rose on the fourth and fifth seasons of "Glee". Her first appearance as Marley Rose was in the first episode of season four, titled "The New Rachel". Because the creators had been looking for Marley for a long time, she started working the day she found out she got the job. Benoist's first performance was a duet of "New York State of Mind" with Lea Michele, during the first episode of season 4. The cover of the song reached twenty-four on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. She and "Glee" co-star Darren Criss appeared with Josh Duhamel in the opening of the 2013 Kids' Choice Awards. That same year, she was selected as an ambassador for Coca-Cola's new product, P10 300 mL Coke Mismo. In June 2013, they were flown to Manila, Philippines, to endorse the product by visiting various malls and meeting with fans. She, along with several other actors, was not called back for "Glee" in early 2014.


title: Melissa Benoist

text: In mid-2013, Benoist and Blake Jenner held a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the production of their feature film "Billy Boy". The project reached its $100,000 goal. Benoist played Nicole in Damien Chazelle's 2014 independent drama film "Whiplash", which won top prizes (Grand Jury and Audience awards) at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. In June 2014, she joined Nicholas Sparks' film adaption "The Longest Ride" as Marcia. She had a role in the 2015 film "Danny Collins". She played the part of Jamie, a desk clerk at a hotel frequented by one of Jamie's all-time favorite rock stars. That same year, Benoist also played Becky Thatcher in "Band of Robbers", a modern-day retelling of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". In May 2015, it was announced that Benoist would be playing Lorelai in the film "Low Riders", replacing Lily Collins and Nicola Peltz, who were in talks for the role previously. In August of that year, she landed the leading role in the Screen Gems drama feature film "Oxford".


title: Melissa Benoist

text: In October 2015, the superhero adventure series "Supergirl", with Benoist in the lead role of Kara Zor-El, premiered on CBS. She became the first woman to lead a prime time superhero TV series since "Wonder Woman" went off the air in 1979 and Lindsay Wagner’s The Bionic Woman in 1978. The premiere was watched by 12.96million viewers and received a full season order by CBS on November 30, 2015. She was reportedly the first actress looked at for the role. Benoist generally received positive reviews for her portrayal of Kara Zor-El. The series later moved to The CW before its second-season premiere. She reprised her role in The CW's Arrowverse crossovers "Invasion!", "Crisis on Earth-X", "Elseworlds", and "Crisis on Infinite Earths" as well as "The Flash" musical episode "Duet". She reprised her role as Earth-X's Supergirl doppelgänger Overgirl in the CW Seed animated series "". The actress made her directorial debut for one episode during season five. For her portrayal of Supergirl, she received the Breakthrough Performance Award at The 42nd Saturn Awards and two Best Actress on a Television Series Award at the 44th and 45th Saturn Awards respectively. The series concluded on November 9, 2021, after six seasons and 126 episodes.


title: Melissa Benoist

text: In May 2016, Benoist was cast as Katherine Russell, the widow of deceased Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, in Peter Berg's drama film "Patriots Day". In June, it was announced that she was set to star in the comedy-drama film "Sun Dogs". Also in that month, the Human Rights Campaign released a video in tribute to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting; in the video, Benoist and others told the stories of the people killed there. In April 2017, Benoist was cast as Rachel Koresh, the legal wife of Branch Davidian cult leader David Koresh in Paramount Network's miniseries "Waco". Benoist was featured in "The Super Duper Minecraft Musical!" which was made for Minecraft's Super Duper Graphics Pack in November.


title: Melissa Benoist

text: On May 7, 2018, it was announced that Benoist would be playing the titular character in the Broadway show "" at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, which marked her Broadway debut for a limited run from June 7 through August 4, 2018. Benoist stated that the run felt like “coming home” to her theater roots and a “manifestation of a lot of her childhood dreams,” as theater was her first passion. In February 2021, she started a production company, Three Things Productions, with an overall deal at Warner Bros.


title: Melissa Benoist

text: In June 2022, it was announced that Benoist and her production company Three Things Productions has renewed its overall deal with Warner Bros. Television Group and that she will officially join the HBO Max series "The Girls on the Bus" inspired by a chapter in Amy Chozick’s 2018 novel "Chasing Hillary", which was based on the author’s time covering Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign as a political reporter. Deadline revealed in February that Benoist was in talks to reunite with Berlanti Productions for the political campaign drama series. In June, it was confirmed that she will star as Sadie McCarthy, a journalist who romanticizes Tim Crouse's "Boys on the Bus" book and who scrapped her whole life for her own shot at covering a presidential campaign. Benoist will also serve as a producer for the series.


title: Melissa Benoist

text: On October 26, 2021, she published her first book, "Haven’s Secret", the first installment of "The Powers" series from Abrams Kids. The series is a middle grade fantasy and was co-written by Benoist with her sister Jessica Benoist and author Mariko Tamaki. "Haven's Secret" received recognition as a 2022 Kansas Notable Book in June of 2022.


title: Melissa Benoist

text: During her first semester in college, when she was learning to ride a bike, a cab backed into her and left a visible scar above her eyebrows. She also has a tattoo of a bicycle on her left foot.


title: Melissa Benoist

text: In 2015, it was announced that she and her "Glee" co-star Blake Jenner were married. Benoist commented that they had been married "longer than anybody knows", with some sources claiming that the couple actually wed the same year of their engagement in 2013. In late December 2016, she filed for divorce citing "irreconcilable differences". The divorce was finalized in December 2017.


title: Melissa Benoist

text: Also in 2015, Benoist suffered an injury that tore her iris. The incident caused one pupil to be enlarged. In November 2019, Benoist shared an Instagram video chronicling her experience as a survivor of domestic violence in order to raise awareness. She revealed that the injury to her iris was due to an iPhone being thrown at her during a domestic dispute, in a relationship marked by repeated abuse. Jenner and Benoist were married at the time. Previously, the injury had been said to have been caused when she tripped down stairs and fell into a potted plant. Benoist also stated in her video that she had experienced extreme control, manipulation, and cycles of severe violence including being slapped, punched, shoved into a wall, dragged by her hair, and choked during the relationship. In October 2020, Jenner wrote a lengthy Instagram post in which he admitted to causing the eye injury and confirmed the infliction of abuse throughout the relationship. He also stated that she had physically assaulted him at other times, resulting in injury. Benoist previously stated in her original video that she began fighting back in defense against Jenner's attacks during the relationship. Despite the implications of Jenner's post, as of July 2022, no proof or backing has been given that Benoist was an aggressor in the relationship. Benoist has discussed healing from the trauma of the relationship and stated that doing EMDR therapy saved her life.


title: Melissa Benoist

text: In 2016, Benoist met Chris Wood when he was cast as Mon-El in season 2 of Supergirl and their romantic relationship was confirmed in 2017. On the relationship she recalls, “we met each other at the perfect time in our lives.” In October 2017, Benoist helped with Wood's launch of his campaign "IDONTMIND" which works to decrease stigma around mental health and provide resources and education. She discussed her own struggle with depression and anxiety attacks since she was 13 years old. She said that Wood's words encouraged her to share her own issues with depression with others. Benoist and Wood announced their engagement on February 10, 2019, and married in September 2019, holding a private ceremony in Ojai, California. On March 4, 2020, the couple announced on Instagram that they were expecting their first child. They announced the birth of their son on September 25, 2020.


title: Dobermann

text: The Dobermann (; ), or Doberman Pinscher in the United States and Canada, is a medium-large breed of domestic dog that was originally developed around 1890 by Louis Dobermann, a tax collector from Germany. The Dobermann has a long muzzle. It stands on its pads and is not usually heavy-footed. Ideally, they have an even and graceful gait. Traditionally, the ears are cropped and posted and the tail is docked. However, in some countries, these procedures are now illegal and it is often considered cruel and unnecessary. Dobermanns have markings on the chest, paws/legs, muzzle, above the eyes, and underneath the tail.


title: Dobermann

text: World breed standards are published by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale, or FCI (World Canine Organisation), on the advice of the IDC (International Dobermann Club), which is the Dobermann breed's governing council and has 36 countries in its member list. To become a world champion, dogs are judged to FCI standards. The AKC has its own standards, as do some other countries, although most still adhere to FCI standards. The breed standard describes the Dobermann as a dog of medium size that is also strong and muscularly built. In order to be eligible to meet these standards, the body of the Dobermann should appear to be almost square.


title: Dobermann

text: The dog was originally intended as a guard dog, so males typically have a muscular and intimidating appearance. Females are usually thinner, but should not be spindly.


title: Dobermann

text: The American Kennel Club (AKC) breed standard differs from the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) standards, with the latter being an often larger and heavier dog. This has led some to argue that Dobermanns and Doberman Pinschers should be considered and evaluated differently.


title: Dobermann

text: Although the breed standards vary among kennel and breed clubs, most follow the standard set by the FCI, which describes the size of male dogs as at the withers; The Kennel Club in the UK quotes as being ideal. The size of female dogs, according to the same standards, is , with being ideal. The Dobermann has a square frame; its length should equal its height to the withers and the length of its head, neck, and legs should be in proportion to its body.


title: Dobermann

text: The standards for the weight of the Dobermann are also described by the FCI. The ideal dog must be of a sufficient size for an optimal combination of strength, endurance and agility. The ideal weight of male dogs is described as and the ideal weight of female dogs is described to be .


title: Dobermann

text: Two different color genes exist in the Dobermann: one for "black" (B) and one for "color dilution" (D). There are nine possible combinations of these alleles, which can result in four different color phenotypes: black, blue, red, and fawn (Isabella). The traditional and most common color occurs when both the color and dilution genes have at least one dominant allele (i.e., BBDD, BBDd, BbDD or BbDd) and is commonly referred to as "black", "black and rust," or "black and tan". The "red", "red rust," or "brown" coloration occurs when the black gene has two recessive alleles but the dilution gene has at least one dominant allele (i.e., bbDD, bbDd). The "blue" Dobermann has the color gene with at least one dominant allele and the dilution gene with both recessive alleles (i.e., BBdd or Bbdd). The "fawn" coloration is the least common, occurring only when both the color and dilution genes have two recessive alleles (i.e., bbdd). Thus, the blue color is a diluted black, and the fawn color is a diluted red.


title: Dobermann

text: Expression of the color dilution gene is a disorder called Color Dilution Alopecia, a kind of canine follicular dysplasia. Although not life-threatening, these dogs can develop skin problems.


title: Dobermann

text: In 1976, a "white" Doberman Pinscher was whelped and was subsequently bred to her son, who was also bred to his litter sisters. This tight inbreeding continued for some time to allow the breeders to "fix" the mutation. This severe inbreeding only intensified the production of "white" dogs, it also amplified their health problems. White Dobermans are not recognized within professional breeders and continue to be reproduced by unethical breeders marketing them as rare in order to charge more for an animal that would never win a show competition. The white colored Doberman is prone to suffer long term medical conditions ranging from: poor hearing or complete deafness, poor vision or complete blindness, behavioral/temperament issues, cancers (predominately skin cancer), amongst others. White/Albino Dobermanns are actually a cream color with white markings, blue eyes, and pink nose. Although this is consistent with albinism, the proper characterization of the mutation is currently unknown. The animals are commonly known as tyrosinase-positive albinoids, lacking melanin in oculocutaneous structures. This condition is caused by a partial deletion in the SLC45A2 gene.


title: Dobermann

text: The Dobermann's natural tail is fairly long, but individual dogs often have a short tail as a result of docking, a procedure in which the majority of the tail is surgically removed shortly after birth.


title: Dobermann

text: The practice of docking has been around for centuries and is older than the Dobermann as a breed. The historical reason for docking is to ensure that the tail does not get in the way of the dog's work. However, docking has always been controversial. Docking and cropping (see below) have been written out of the Breed Standard by FCI and IDC, and dogs born after 2016 will not be allowed to participate in FCI or IDC shows without a full tail and natural ears. This is mirrored in most EU and Commonwealth countries. In the UK, dogs with docked tails have been banned from show for a number of years and the practice is now illegal for native born dogs. Veterinary Certificates are required as proof to avoid prosecution on imported animals. It has also been made illegal in many other European countries, as well as Australia. The American Kennel Club standard for Doberman Pinschers includes a tail docked near the 2nd vertebra. Docking is a common practice in the United States, Russia, and Japan (as well as a number of other countries with Dobermann populations), where it remains legal.


title: Dobermann

text: Dobermanns often have their ears cropped, a procedure that is thought to be done for functionality for both the traditional guard duty and effective sound localization. According to the Doberman Pinscher Club of America, ears are "normally cropped and carried erect". Like tail docking, ear cropping is illegal in many countries and has never been legal in some Commonwealth countries.


title: Dobermann

text: Canine intelligence is an umbrella term that encompasses the faculties involved in a wide range of mental tasks, such as learning, problem-solving, and communication. The Doberman Pinscher has been ranked amongst the most intelligent dog breeds in experimental studies and expert evaluations. Psychologist Stanley Coren ranks the Dobermann as the 5th most intelligent dog in the category of "obedience command training," based on the selective surveys answered by experienced trainers (as documented in his book "The Intelligence of Dogs"). Additionally, in two studies, Hart and Hart (1985) ranked the Doberman Pinscher first in the same category, and Tortora (1980) gave the Dobermann the highest rank in general trainability. Although methods of evaluation differ, studies have consistently shown that the Doberman Pinscher, along with the Border Collie, Standard Poodle, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, and Rottweiler, are the most trainable breeds of dog.


title: Dobermann

text: Although they are considered to be working dogs, Dobermanns are often stereotyped as being ferocious and aggressive. As a personal protection dog, the Dobermann was originally bred for these traits: it had to be large and intimidating, fearless, and willing to defend its owner from attackers (especially from other guard dogs), but sufficiently obedient and restrained to do so only on command. These traits served the dog well in its role as a personal defense dog, police dog, or war dog, but were not ideally adapted to a companionship role. The Dobermann's aggression has been toned down by modern breeders over the years. Therefore, today's Dobermanns are known to have a much more even and good-natured temperament, as well as extreme loyalty, high intelligence, and great trainability. The modern Dobermann is known to be energetic, watchful, fearless, and obedient.


title: Dobermann

text: They can easily learn to respect and protect their owners and are therefore considered by many to be excellent guard dogs. Given that they are properly socialized from a young age, they are generally sociable toward familiar humans and can also be sociable with other dogs. However, Dobermanns do rank among the more-likely breeds to show aggressive behaviour toward strangers and other dogs, though they are not among the "most" likely to do so. They are highly unlikely to show aggressive behaviour toward their owners.


title: Dobermann

text: There is some evidence that Doberman Pinschers in North America have a calmer and more even temperament than their European counterparts because of the breeding strategies employed by American breeders. Because of these differences in breeding strategies, different lines of Doberman Pinschers have developed different traits. Although many contemporary Doberman Pinschers in North America are gentle and friendly to strangers, some lines are bred more true to the original personality standard.


title: Dobermann

text: The personality of the Doberman Pinscher is known to be unique. There is a great deal of scientific evidence that Doberman Pinschers have a number of stable psychological traits, such as certain personality factors and intelligence. As early as 1965, studies have shown that there are several broad behavioral traits that significantly predict behavior and are genetically determined. Subsequently, there have been numerous scientific attempts to quantify canine personality or temperament by using statistical techniques for assessing personality traits in humans. These studies often vary in terms of the personality factors they focus on and in terms of ranking breeds differently along these dimensions. One such study found that Doberman Pinschers, compared to other breeds, rank high in playfulness, average in curiosity/fearlessness, low on aggressiveness, and low on sociability. Another such study ranked Doberman Pinschers low on reactivity/surgence and high on aggression/disagreeableness and openness/trainability.


title: Dobermann

text: In addition to the studies of canine personality, there has been some research to determine whether there are breed differences in aggression. In a study published in 2008, aggression was divided into four categories: aggression directed at strangers, owner, strange dogs, and rivalry with other household dogs. This study found that the Doberman Pinscher ranked relatively high on stranger-directed aggression, but extremely low on owner-directed aggression. The Doberman Pinscher ranked as average on dog-directed aggression and dog rivalry. Looking only at bites and attempted bites, Doberman Pinschers rank as far less aggressive towards humans and show less aggression than many breeds without a reputation (e.g., Cocker Spaniel, Dalmatian, and Great Dane). This study concluded that aggression has a genetic basis, that the Dobermann shows a distinctive pattern of aggression depending on the situation and that contemporary Doberman Pinschers are not an aggressive breed overall. In regards to Dobermanns attacking owners, it is rare and usually in the case of overdiscipline. Dobermanns accept physical punishment to an extent. However, when they consider it to no longer be punishment, but an attack on themselves, they will defend themselves.


title: Dobermann

text: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 1979 and 1998, the Doberman Pinscher was involved in attacks on humans resulting in fatalities less frequently than several other dog breeds such as German Shepherd Dogs, Rottweilers, Husky-type dogs, wolf-dog hybrids and Alaskan Malamutes. According to this Center for Disease Control and Prevention study, one of the most important factors contributing to dog bites is the level of responsibility exercised by dog owners.


title: Dobermann

text: The Dobermann's lifespan is about 10–13 years on average. The breed is prone to a number of health concerns. Common serious health problems include dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM),


title: Dobermann

text: Dilated cardiomyopathy is a major cause of death in Dobermanns. This disease affects the breed more than any other. Nearly 40% of DCM diagnoses are for Dobermann Pinschers, followed by German Shepherds at 13%. More recent studies based on European dogs, however, has indicated that DCM affected rates are much higher for this population than their American relatives: around 58% of European Dobermanns will develop DCM within their lifetime. Research has shown that the breed is affected by an attenuated wavy fiber type of DCM that affects many other breeds, as well as an additional fatty infiltration-degenerative type that appears to be specific to Dobermann Pinscher and Boxer breeds.


title: Dobermann

text: Roughly a quarter of Dobermann Pinschers who develop cardiomyopathy die suddenly from seemingly unknown causes, and an additional fifty percent die of congestive heart failure. Among female Dobermanns, the sudden death manifestation of the disease is more common, whereas males tend to develop congestive heart failure. In addition to being more prevalent in Dobermanns, this disease is also more serious in the breed. Following a diagnosis, the average non-Dobermann has an expected survival time of 8 months; for Dobermann Pinschers, however, the expected survival time is less than two months. Although the causes for the disease are largely unknown, there is evidence that it is a familial disease inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. Investigation into the genetic causes of canine DCM may lead to therapeutic and breeding practices to limit its impact.


title: Dobermann

text: Dobermanns were first bred in the 1880s by Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann in Apolda, Thuringia, Germany, a tax collector who ran the Apolda dog pound. With access to dogs of many breeds, he got the idea to create a breed that would be ideal for protecting him. He set out to breed a new type of dog that would exhibit impressive stamina, strength, and intelligence. Five years after Dobermann's death, Otto Goeller, one of the earliest breeders, created the National Doberman Pinscher Club and is considered to have perfected the breed, breeding and refining them in the 1890s.


title: Dobermann

text: The breed is believed to have been created from several different breeds of dogs that had the characteristics that Dobermann was looking for. The exact ratios of mixing, and even the exact breeds that were used, remain uncertain, although many experts believe that the Dobermann Pinscher is a combination of several breeds including the Beauceron, German Pinscher, Rottweiler and Weimaraner. The single exception is the documented crossing with the Greyhound and Manchester Terrier. It is also widely believed that the old German Shepherd was the single largest contributor to the Dobermann breed. Philip Greunig's "The Dobermann Pinscher" (1939) describes the breed's early development by Otto Goeller, who helped to establish the breed. The American Kennel Club believes the breeds utilized to develop the Dobermann Pinscher may have included the old shorthaired shepherd, Rottweiler, Black and Tan Terrier and the German Pinscher.


title: Dobermann

text: After Dobermann's death in 1894, the Germans named the breed Dobermann-pinscher in his honor, but a half century later dropped the word 'pinscher' on the grounds that this German word for 'terrier' was no longer appropriate. The British did the same a few years later; now the US and Canada are the only countries who continue to use Pinscher and have dropped an "n" from Dobermann's surname.


title: Dobermann

text: During World War II, the United States Marine Corps adopted the Doberman Pinscher as its official war dog, although the Corps did not exclusively use this breed in the role.


title: Dobermann

text: In the United States, the American Kennel Club ranked the Doberman Pinscher as the 12th most popular dog breed in 2012 and 2013.


title: Dobermann

text: The Dobermann became very popular over a short period of time. It is a relatively new breed, less than 150 years old. According to the latest ranking in 2017 by the American Kennel Club, Dobermanns are the 16th most popular dog breed. Dobermanns started to become popular when they were used in World War II as guard dogs. In the 1970s, Dobermanns had their fair share in movies. They starred in the 1972 American film "The Doberman Gang". Dobermanns also became popular after winning four Westminster Kennel Club Dog Shows in 1939, 1952, 1953 and 1989. The Dobermann was recognised (as the Doberman Pinscher) by the American Kennel Club in 1908 and since then they have been one of the most popular dog breeds due to their intelligence and agility. Even today, the numbers of Dobermann dog registrations are increasing.


title: Nani (actor)

text: Ghanta Naveen Babu (born 24 February 1984), known professionally by his screen name Nani, is an Indian actor, producer, and television presenter primarily known for his work in Telugu cinema. He is the recipient of two state Nandi Awards, two Filmfare Critics Best Actor Award and a Best Hero award at the 2013 Toronto After Dark Film Festival, and also three Filmfare Best Actor nominations.


title: Nani (actor)

text: Nani has established himself in Telugu cinema with "Ashta Chamma" (2008), "Ride" (2009), "Bheemili Kabaddi Jattu" (2010), "Ala Modalaindi" (2011), "Pilla Zamindar" (2011), "Eega" (2012), "Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu" (2012), "Yevade Subramanyam" (2015), "Bhale Bhale Magadivoy" (2015), "Krishna Gaadi Veera Prema Gaadha" (2016), "Gentleman" (2016), "Majnu" (2016), "Nenu Local" (2017), "Ninnu Kori" (2017), "Middle Class Abbayi" (2017), "Devadas" (2018), "Jersey" (2019), "Nani's Gang Leader" (2019), "Shyam Singha Roy" (2021) and "Ante Sundaraaniki!" (2022).


title: Nani (actor)

text: In 2013, Nani produced his first film, "D for Dopidi", which became a commercial success at the box office. In 2018, his second production venture under the banner of Wall Poster Cinema, "Awe" was also a critical and commercial success. In the same year, Nani hosted the second season of the Telugu reality TV show "Bigg Boss". His performance in "Jersey" (2019) is regarded as one of the "100 Greatest Performances of the Decade" by "Film Companion."


title: Nani (actor)

text: Nani was born and brought up in Hyderabad, India. He did his schooling from St. Alphonsa's High School and then did his intermediate at Narayana Junior College, S. R. Nagar before graduating from Wesley College.


title: Nani (actor)

text: As an undergraduate, Nani got addicted to movies, citing Mani Ratnam as a major influence. He wanted to become a director, however, producer Anil Kumar Koneru allowed him to work on his production, "Radha Gopalam" (2005), as a "clap director", alongside director Bapu. He then worked for films including "Allari Bullodu" (2005), "Astram" (2006), and "Dhee" (2007). Nani took a sabbatical to work on a film script. Bhargavi Mallela, a friend of his, who was then working as a RJ for World Space Satellite, offered Nani work as an RJ. He accepted the offer and worked there for one year, hosting a program named "Non-Stop Nani".


title: Nani (actor)

text: Director Mohan Krishna Indraganti noticed Nani in an advertisement and offered him a role in the aforementioned film "Ashta Chamma", also starring Swati Reddy. "Ashta Chamma" was well received by critics and Nani's performance was praised by them. Sify.com wrote "Nani has a very good screen presence. He has good emotions and dances well, though his body language sometimes reminds of Subhalekha Sudhakar – May this be treated as a compliment to the ease that the veteran actor shows on the screen! His addiction is good too." His second film, "Ride", was produced by Bellamkonda Suresh, with Tanish, Swetha Basu Prasad and Aksha Pardasany playing important roles. Ride was also a notable success at the box office. He next starred in Satyam Bellamkonda's film "Snehituda..." opposite Maadhavi Latha. "Snehituda..." opened to negative reviews and the film was a flop at the box office. In 2010, he played the main role in the film "Bheemili Kabaddi Jattu", a remake of "Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu", with Saranya Mohan reprising her role as the heroine. The film opened to positive reviews with Nani's performance receiving appreciation. "Rediff" said Nani "perfectly fits into the role" and commented him for selecting the script, and "Oneindia Entertainment" commented that Nani "has given his best" and "suited perfectly to the role". The film was a surprise hit at the box office.


title: Nani (actor)

text: His first release in 2011, "Ala Modalaindi", was a romantic comedy written and directed by Nandini Reddy. Nithya Menen was the female lead of the film, making her debut in Telugu. Nani's performance in the film received positive reviews, with critics noting that he was "completely natural" and "living [his] role". The film was a blockbuster at the box office. Simultaneously he did a Tamil film, "Veppam", with his friend Anjana as director which marked his debut in Tamil cinema. "Veppam" received mixed reviews, but Nani and Bindu Madhavi were appreciated. The Times of India called their debuts "confident" while Sify called Nani's performance "riveting". It was dubbed into Telugu as "Sega". Both the versions were flops at the box office. Nani's final release of 2011 was "Pilla Zamindar", in which he reunited with fellow "Ashta Chamma" actor Srinivas Avasarala. Pilla Zamindar opened to mostly positive reviews from critics, and Nani's performance as a spoilt-brat-turned-leader was well appreciated. Rediff wrote ""Pilla Zamindar" is Nani's show all the way. He lives up to the role and is able to portray the kaleidoscope of emotions demanded of him. " IndiaGlitz wrote, "Performance-wise, Nani delivers a matured output in the second half as a youth in self-introspecting and self-correcting mode." The film was a hit at the box office, prompting a Tamil dubbed release under the title "Jameen". Nani's next release was S. S. Rajamouli's live action project "Eega". Shot simultaneously in Tamil as "Naan Ee", it featured Nani, Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Kannada actor Sudeep. Eega received a positive response. "IBN Live" said that "Nani sizzles as the lover boy in the few scenes he is seen", while "Rediff" said that he "makes a mark in his brief role". The film was a blockbuster at the box office and was dubbed into Hindi as "Makkhi" and into Malayalam as "Eecha".


title: Nani (actor)

text: His last release in 2012 was Gautham Vasudev Menon's "Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu" opposite Samantha Ruth Prabhu once again. It was the simultaneously shot Telugu version of the Tamil film "Neethane En Ponvasantham" which featured Jiiva in place of Nani. Nani made a guest appearance in the Tamil version too. His portrayal of Varun Krishna was highly appreciated by critics. The Hindu wrote "Nani rises to the occasion with a mature performance. He speaks volumes through his eyes and conveys Varun's thoughts through the smallest of mannerisms. The climax completely belongs to him." "IndiaGlitz" wrote "If Samantha's maturity as an actor is obvious, Nani's knack is equally brilliant. He is quintessentially natural and is almost impeccable. The way he sings "Priyatama Neevachata Kushalama" sets the stage for a performance that deserves a big round of applause." His performance in Yeto Vellipoyindi Manasu is considered to be one of his best performances till date. "IndiaGlitz" while reviewing the Telugu version of his 2014 Tamil film "Aaha Kalyanam" wrote: "Nani's best-ever act is 'Yeto Vellipoyindi Manasu' and he may not better that act soon, that is in a similar role". Though the film received mixed reviews from film critics, it had a positive response at the box office, especially in multiplexes due to Nani and Samantha's performances.


title: Nani (actor)

text: In 2014, Nani was first seen in Krishna Vamsi's "Paisa". The film revolved around the power of money and its influence over everything in society. Nani played the role of Prakash, a Sherwani model who is obsessed with gaining money. The film opened to negative reviews, yet Nani's performance was appreciated by critics. "The Hindu" wrote, "Nani holds the film together and proves his merit yet again. He shuns all the refinement he showed in his previous romantic characters and breathes life into the part of a smart Alec threatening to hold up the shooting of a sherwani commercial for Rs. 200 more. The film's highlight is the scene where he chances upon bags of cash and his reaction after that." The film was a disaster at the box office. He next starred in Yash Raj Films' maiden south Indian production "Aaha Kalyanam", the Tamil remake of the 2010 Hindi film "Band Baaja Baarat" (also produced by Yash Raj Films). It was partly shot simultaneously in Telugu under the same title. The film received mixed to negative reviews, but Nani's performance as Shakti was well received. Sify called his performance "pitch-perfect". While IndiaGlitz wrote, "Nani is the apple of everyone's eyes once again, adding a good dose of humour in his presence". Behindwoods commented that ""Aaha Kalyanam" provides great scope for the leads and Nani, who is known for his intense roles, fits the character of a carefree youth perfectly, with his broken English and casual attitude." This movie was a commercial failure. In 2015, Nani played a dual role for the first time in the political thriller film "Janda Pai Kapiraju", co-starring Amala Paul. The film was simultaneously made in Tamil as "Nimirndhu Nil" with Jayam Ravi in Nani's role. This movie was a disaster at the box office.


title: Nani (actor)

text: Another release of his, "Yevade Subramanyam" was also released on the same date of "Jenda Pai Kapiraju" to a majority of positive response and reviews and was commercially successful. Sangeetha Devi of The Hindu wrote "Nani is a fine actor and lives the part of Subramanyam, mirroring the insecurities of the work force caught in a rat race. As he sheds the corporate mask, he comes into his own, one step at a time on the mountains." On 4 September 2015, Nani's "Bhale Bhale Magadivoy" hit the screens. It was directed by Maruthi and produced by Geetha Arts in association with UV Creations. The movie received positive responses from critics. Pranita Jonnalagedda of The Times of India gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars, who stated that "Bhale Bhale Magadivoy" comes across as a "breath of fresh air" because it "successfully keeps itself away from the regular formula of romantic comedies [and is] devoid of the oh-so-overused cliches" and is a "delight for anyone looking for wholesome entertainment". The film was a blockbuster at the box office and went on to become the fourth-highest grossing Telugu film of all time at the United States box office. It was also Nani's second blockbuster since Rajamouli's "Eega" and the first blockbuster in which Nani played a full-length role.


title: Nani (actor)

text: In 2016, his first movie was "Krishna Gaadi Veera Prema Gaadha". A romantic comedy interlaced with an adventure thriller film set on a rural backdrop written and directed by Hanu Raghavapudi and produced under the banner of 14 Reels Entertainment saw newcomer Mehreen Pirzada as the female lead. The film opened with positive response from critics, Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of "The Hindu" while giving the movie 3 out of 5 stars said that "Hanu Raghavapudi proves his mettle with "Krishna Gaadi Veera Prema Gaadha" and makes it an entertaining watch". It was praised for the performances of the cast and criticized for the excessive runtime. The movie fared really well at the box office. Thus, became Nani's biggest opener in India, beating the records of his last film "Bhale Bhale Magadivoy".


title: Nani (actor)

text: Nani's second release in 2016 was "Gentleman", a romantic murder mystery thriller directed by his mentor Indraganti Mohan Krishna, who introduced him with "Ashta Chamma". Nani played dual role in the film. Surbhi and Nivetha Thomas starred alongside Nani in the movie, with Nivetha having more of a pivotal and prominent role. The movie was released to positive reviews and went on to become Nani's 3rd highest grosser after Eega and Bhale Bhale Magadivoy. Gentleman was praised for the performances but criticized for its predictability. Nani's versatility was praised as GreatAndhra wrote that he was "brilliant from his role as a street-smart youngster to an obscure businessman."


title: Nani (actor)

text: His last release in 2016 was a romantic comedy titled "Majnu". Directed by "Uyyala Jampala" fame Virinchi Varma, the film saw Nani co-star alongside Anu Emmanuel and Priya Sri. The film was one of Nani's weakest films since Yevade Subramanyam. Praised for its comedy and criticized for its lengthiness and weak story, Majnu was given mixed reviews, failed to cross the expected 30 crore mark, and despite this, still emerged as a hit.


title: Nani (actor)

text: "Nenu Local" (2017), directed by Trinadha Rao Nakkina, cast Nani alongside Keerthy Suresh. This movie was given average reviews from the critics, who said that despite the predictability, despite the boring story, despite all the tiring commercial elements, Nani's performance changed everything for the movie and led it towards becoming a success. It emerged as a blockbuster, collecting over fifty crores, and became Nani's highest-grossing movie (excluding Eega) to date.


title: Nani (actor)

text: "Ninnu Kori" (2017) was a film that had Nani co-starring alongside Nivetha Thomas once more, and the film also had Aadhi Pinisetty in a pivotal role. This film emerged in response to generally positive reviews, being praised for its music, cinematography, and conventionally different love story. It was criticized for its lengthiness and predictability. It became a hit and was Nani's second-highest-grossing film, excluding "Eega".


title: Nani (actor)

text: The next and last film released in 2017 was "Middle Class Abbayi", directed by Venu Sree Ram. in which Nani co-starred alongside Sai Pallavi of "Fidaa" fame. This movie was again given strictly average reviews, saying that the story was very conventional and that the music and Nani and Bhumika's performance were the highlights of the film. The film was a Blockbuster at the Box office. The film went on to gross more than 70 crores and became the 7th highest-grossing Telugu film of 2017, becoming the highest-grossing Nani film (excluding "Eega"), again.


title: Nani (actor)

text: His next project was "Krishnarjuna Yudham", which released on 12 April 2018. This movie was Nani's first failure after 8 consecutive successes at the box office. It was praised for Nani's performance but criticized for the length, the rockstar role, the commercial elements, and lack of convincing screenplay. The film flopped, becoming a disaster, failing to recover 18 of the 30 crores in the budget. His next release was "Devadas", a comedy multistarrer in which he played the role of a doctor, and it was released on 27 September 2018. He starred alongside star actor Nagarjuna, who was a don. It was praised for being fun but criticized for having a thin story. It was an Average at the box office due to the relatively big budget and strictly average word of mouth. Nani's first release in 2019 was "Jersey", which opened to positive reviews from both critics and Audiences and became a feel good hit at the box office, collecting nearly 65 crores. His next release in 2019 was "Gang Leader", which was released on 13 September 2019 to positive reviews. His next project was his 25th film, "V", directed by Mohan Krishna Indraganti. Nivetha Thomas, Aditi Rao Hydari, and Sudheer Babu, co-starred with him, in which he played a character with negative shades. The film received mixed-to-negative reviews with praise towards Nani's performance, cinematography, and background music, but criticism towards the story, screenplay, and direction. He next appeared in "Tuck Jagadish", alongside Ritu Varma. It was directed by Shiva Nirvana, marking his second collaboration with him after, "Ninnu Kori". The film received negative reviews with criticism towards the story, screenplay, direction, background music, and characters.


title: Nani (actor)

text: Nani's next was the period romantic drama, "Shyam Singha Roy". It was directed by Rahul Sankrityan, of "Taxiwaala" fame. It released, theatrically, on 24 December 2021 and received mixed-to-positive reviews. The story, performances of the entire cast, background score, art design, cinematography, and visual effects were highly praised. The film was a sleeper-hit at the box office, marking the comeback of Nani, after the back-to-back failures of "V" and "Tuck Jagadish". It was the last successful film of 2021, released after "".


title: Nani (actor)

text: Nani was next seen in Vivek Athreya's directorial, "Ante Sundaraniki", alongside Malayalam actress, Nazriya Nazim, making her debut in Telugu cinema. Upon release, it received positive reviews with praise towards performances of the cast (especially Nani and Nazim), screenplay, writing, cinematography, and the background score. However, criticism was directed towards the film's long duration and pace. Despite receiving positive reviews, the film failed at the box office and ended up as a below-average grosser. He will be next seen in "Dasara", alongside Keerthy Suresh, marking their second collaboration after "Nenu Local".


title: Nani (actor)

text: In the mid-credits scene of "", Nani's character, Arjun Sarkaar, was introduced into the "HIT Verse". He will be the new lead in the sequel, "HIT: The Third Case".


title: Nani (actor)

text: Nani turned producer for the film, "D for Dopidi", in 2013. It was co-produced by director duo, Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K.. It starred Sundeep Kishan, Varun Sandesh, and Naveen Polishetty. He also lent his voice to the film. The film was a moderate success at the box office. He launched his film production house, Wall Poster Cinema, along with costume designer, Prashanti Tipirneni, as a partner. The first film in the banner was "Awe" or "అ!" (2018). It was one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year and won 2 awards, at the 66th National Film Awards, for Best Special Effects and Best Make-Up Artist.


title: Nani (actor)

text: In 2020, he produced crime thriller, "", with Vishwak Sen and Ruhani Sharma. It was one of the bigger sleeper hits of the year, right before the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, worldwide, in March 2020. He has also produced the sequel, "", with Adivi Sesh and Meenakshi Chaudhary. These films are intended to be part of a universe, with upcoming films being set in various cities of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Only the fictional, Homicide Intervention Team (HIT), will be the common entity connecting all the films in the universe.


title: Nani (actor)

text: In June 2018, Nani made his television debut by hosting the reality TV show "Bigg Boss 2". He is the Brand Ambassador of Otto's Minister White.


title: Santa Claus

text: Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary character originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Christmas Eve of toys and candy or coal or nothing, depending on whether they are "naughty or nice". In the legend, he accomplishes this with the aid of Christmas elves, who make the toys in his workshop, often said to be at the North Pole, and flying reindeer who pull his sleigh through the air.


title: Santa Claus

text: The modern character of Santa is based on folklore traditions surrounding Saint Nicholas, the English figure of Father Christmas and the Dutch figure of "Sinterklaas".


title: Santa Claus

text: Santa is generally depicted as a portly, jolly, white-bearded man, often with spectacles, wearing a red coat with white fur collar and cuffs, white-fur-cuffed red trousers, red hat with white fur, and black leather belt and boots, carrying a bag full of gifts for children. He is commonly portrayed as laughing in a way that sounds like "ho ho ho". This image became popular in the United States and Canada in the 19th century due to the significant influence of the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas". Caricaturist and political cartoonist Thomas Nast also played a role in the creation of Santa's image. This image has been maintained and reinforced through song, radio, television, children's books, family Christmas traditions, films, and advertising.


title: Santa Claus

text: Saint Nicholas was a 4th-century Greek Christian bishop of Myra (now Demre) in the region of Lycia in the Roman Empire, today in Turkey. Nicholas was known for his generous gifts to the poor, in particular presenting the three impoverished daughters of a pious Christian with dowries so that they would not have to become prostitutes. He was very religious from an early age and devoted his life entirely to Christianity. In continental Europe (more precisely the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, the Czech Republic and Germany), he is usually portrayed as a bearded bishop in canonical robes.


title: Santa Claus

text: In 1087, while the Greek Christian inhabitants of Myra were subjugated by the newly arrived Muslim Seljuq dynasty, and soon after their Greek Orthodox church had been declared to be in schism by the Catholic church (1054 AD), a group of merchants from the Italian city of Bari removed the major bones of Nicholas's skeleton from his sarcophagus in the Greek church in Myra. Over the objection of the monks of Myra the sailors took the bones of St. Nicholas to Bari, where they are now enshrined in the Basilica di San Nicola. Sailors from Bari collected just half of Nicholas' skeleton, leaving all the minor fragments in the church sarcophagus. These were later taken by Venetian sailors during the First Crusade and placed in Venice, where a church to St. Nicholas, the patron of sailors, was built on the San Nicolò al Lido. St. Nicholas' vandalized sarcophagus can still be seen in the St. Nicholas Church in Myra. This tradition was confirmed in two important scientific investigations of the relics in Bari and Venice, which revealed that the relics in the two Italian cities belong to the same skeleton. Saint Nicholas was later claimed as a patron saint of many diverse groups, from archers, sailors, and children to pawnbrokers. He is also the patron saint of both Amsterdam and Moscow.


title: Santa Claus

text: During the Middle Ages, often on the evening before his name day of 6 December, children were bestowed gifts in his honour. This date was earlier than the original day of gifts for the children, which moved in the course of the Reformation and its opposition to the veneration of saints in many countries on 24 and 25 December. The custom of gifting to children at Christmas was propagated by Martin Luther as an alternative to the previous very popular gift custom on St. Nicholas, to focus the interest of the children to Christ instead of the veneration of saints. Martin Luther first suggested the Christkind as the bringer of gifts. But Nicholas remained popular as gifts bearer for the people.


title: Santa Claus

text: Father Christmas dates back as far as 16th century in England during the reign of Henry VIII, when he was pictured as a large man in green or scarlet robes lined with fur. He typified the spirit of good cheer at Christmas, bringing peace, joy, good food and wine and revelry. As England no longer kept the feast day of Saint Nicholas on 6 December, the Father Christmas celebration was moved to 25 December to coincide with Christmas Day. The Victorian revival of Christmas included Father Christmas as the emblem of good cheer. His physical appearance was variable, with one image being John Leech's illustration of the "Ghost of Christmas Present" in Charles Dickens's festive story "A Christmas Carol" (1843), as a great genial man in a green coat lined with fur who takes Scrooge through the bustling streets of London on the current Christmas morning, sprinkling the essence of Christmas onto the happy populace.


title: Santa Claus

text: In the Netherlands and Belgium, the character of Santa Claus competes with that of Sinterklaas, based on Saint Nicolas. Santa Claus is known as "de Kerstman" in Dutch ("the Christmas man") and "Père Noël" ("Father Christmas") in French. For children in the Netherlands, Sinterklaas remains the predominant gift-giver in December; 36% of the Dutch only give presents on Sinterklaas evening or the day itself, 6 December, while Christmas, 25 December, is used by another 21% to give presents. Some 26% of the Dutch population gives presents on both days. In Belgium, presents are offered exclusively to children on 6 December, and on Christmas Day all ages may receive presents. Saint Nicolas/Sinterklaas' assistants are called "Pieten" (in Dutch) or "Père Fouettard" (in French), so they are not elves. In Switzerland, Père Fouettard accompanies Père Noël in the French speaking region, while the sinister Schmutzli accompanies Samichlaus in the Swiss German region. Schmutzli carries a twig broom to spank the naughty children.


title: Santa Claus

text: Prior to Christianization, the Germanic peoples (including the English) celebrated a midwinter event called Yule (Old English "geola" or "giuli"). With the Christianization of Germanic Europe, numerous traditions were absorbed from Yuletide celebrations into modern Christmas. During this period, supernatural and ghostly occurrences were said to increase in frequency, such as the Wild Hunt, a ghostly procession through the sky. The leader of the Wild Hunt is frequently attested as the god Odin (Wodan), bearing (among many names) the names "Jólnir", meaning "Yule figure", and "Langbarðr", meaning "long-beard", in Old Norse.


title: Santa Claus

text: Wodan's role during the Yuletide period has been theorized as having influenced concepts of St. Nicholas and Santa Claus in a variety of facets, including his long white beard and his gray horse for nightly rides (compare Odin's horse Sleipnir) or his reindeer in North American tradition. Folklorist Margaret Baker maintains that "the appearance of Santa Claus or Father Christmas, whose day is the 25th of December, owes much to Odin, the old blue-hooded, cloaked, white-bearded Giftbringer of the north, who rode the midwinter sky on his eight-footed steed Sleipnir, visiting his people with gifts. Odin, transformed into Father Christmas, then Santa Claus, prospered with St Nicholas and the Christchild, became a leading player on the Christmas stage."


title: Santa Claus

text: In Finland, Santa Claus is called Joulupukki (direct translation 'Christmas Goat'). The flying reindeer could symbolize the use of fly agaric by Sámi shamans.


title: Santa Claus

text: Early representations of the gift-giver from Church history and folklore, especially St Nicholas, merged with the English character Father Christmas to create the mythical character known to the rest of the English-speaking world as "Santa Claus" (a phonetic derivation of "Sinterklaas" in Dutch).


title: Santa Claus

text: In the English and later British colonies of North America, and later in the United States, British and Dutch versions of the gift-giver merged further. For example, in Washington Irving's "History of New York" (1809), "Sinterklaas" was Anglicized into "Santa Claus" (a name first used in the U.S. press in 1773) but lost his bishop's apparel, and was at first pictured as a thick-bellied Dutch sailor with a pipe in a green winter coat. Irving's book was a parody of the Dutch culture of New York, and much of this portrait is his joking invention. Irving's interpretation of Santa Claus was part of a broader movement to tone down the increasingly wild Christmas celebrations of the era, which included aggressive home invasions under the guise of wassailing, substantial premarital sex (leading to shotgun weddings in areas where the Puritans, waning in power and firmly opposed to Christmas, still held some influence) and public displays of sexual deviancy; the celebrations of the era were derided by both upper-class merchants and Christian purists.


title: Santa Claus

text: In 1821, the book "A New-year's present, to the little ones from five to twelve" was published in New York. It contained "Old Santeclaus with Much Delight", an anonymous poem describing Santeclaus on a reindeer sleigh, bringing rewards to children. Some modern ideas of Santa Claus seemingly became canon after the anonymous publication of the poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas" (better known today as "The Night Before Christmas") in the Troy, New York, "Sentinel" on 23 December 1823; Clement Clarke Moore later claimed authorship, though some scholars argue that Henry Livingston, Jr. (who died nine years before Moore's claim) was the author. St. Nick is described as being "chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf" with "a little round belly", that "shook when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly", in spite of which the "miniature sleigh" and "tiny reindeer" still indicate that he is physically diminutive. The reindeer were also named: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder and Blixem (Dunder and Blixem came from the old Dutch words for thunder and lightning, which were later changed to the more German sounding Donner and Blitzen).


title: Santa Claus

text: By 1845, "Kris Kringle" was a common variant of Santa in parts of the United States. A magazine article from 1853, describing American Christmas customs to British readers, refers to children hanging up their stockings on Christmas Eve for "a fabulous personage" whose name varies: in Pennsylvania he is usually called "Krishkinkle", but in New York he is "St. Nicholas" or "Santa Claus". The author quotes Moore's poem in its entirety, saying that its descriptions apply to Krishkinkle too.


title: Santa Claus

text: As the years passed, Santa Claus evolved into a large, heavyset person. One of the first artists to define Santa Claus's modern image was Thomas Nast, an American cartoonist of the 19th century who immortalized Santa Claus with an illustration for the 3 January 1863 issue of "Harper's Weekly" in which Santa was dressed in an American flag, and had a puppet with the name "Jeff" written on it, reflecting its Civil War context. In this drawing, Santa is also in a sleigh pulled by reindeers.


title: Santa Claus

text: The story that Santa Claus lives at the North Pole may also have been a Nast creation. His Christmas image in the "Harper's" issue dated 29 December 1866 was a collage of engravings titled "Santa Claus and His Works", which included the caption "Santa Claussville, N.P." A color collection of Nast's pictures, published in 1869, had a poem also titled "Santa Claus and His Works" by George P. Webster, who wrote that Santa Claus's home was "near the North Pole, in the ice and snow". The tale had become well known by the 1870s. A boy from Colorado writing to the children's magazine "The Nursery" in late 1874 said, "If we did not live so very far from the North Pole, I should ask Santa Claus to bring me a donkey."


title: Santa Claus

text: The idea of a wife for Santa Claus may have been the creation of American authors, beginning in the mid-19th century. In 1889, the poet Katharine Lee Bates popularized Mrs. Claus in the poem "Goody Santa Claus on a Sleigh Ride". "Is There a Santa Claus?" is the title of an iconic editorial in the 21 September 1897 edition of "The New York Sun" that became the most reprinted in the U.S. and included the famous reply, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus".


title: Santa Claus

text: In Russia, Ded Moroz emerged as a Santa Claus figure around the late 19th century where Christmas for the Eastern Orthodox Church is kept on 7 January.


title: Santa Claus

text: L. Frank Baum's "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus", a children's book, was published in 1902. Much of Santa Claus's mythos was not firmly established at the time, leaving Baum to give his "Neclaus" (Necile's Little One) a variety of immortal support, a home in the Laughing Valley of Hohaho, and "ten" reindeer—who could not fly, but leapt in enormous, flight-like bounds. Claus's immortality was earned, much like his title ("Santa"), decided by a vote of those naturally immortal. This work also established Claus's motives: a happy childhood among immortals. When Ak, Master Woodsman of the World, exposes him to the misery and poverty of children in the outside world, Santa strives to find a way to bring joy into the lives of all children, and eventually invents toys as a principal means. Santa later appears in "The Road to Oz" as an honored guest at Ozma's birthday party, stated to be famous and beloved enough for everyone to bow even before he is announced as "The most Mighty and Loyal Friend of Children, His Supreme Highness – Santa Claus".


title: Santa Claus

text: Images of Santa Claus were conveyed through Haddon Sundblom's depiction of him for The Coca-Cola Company's Christmas advertising in the 1930s. The image spawned urban legends that Santa Claus was invented by The Coca-Cola Company or that Santa wears red and white because they are the colors used to promote the Coca-Cola brand. Coca-Cola's competitor Pepsi-Cola used similar Santa Claus paintings in its advertisements in the 1940s and 1950s. Historically, Coca-Cola was not the first soft drink company to utilize the modern image of Santa Claus in its advertising—White Rock Beverages had already used a red and white Santa to sell mineral water in 1915 and then in advertisements for its ginger ale in 1923. Earlier, Santa Claus had appeared dressed in red and white and essentially in his current form on several covers of "Puck" magazine in the first few years of the 20th century.


title: Santa Claus

text: The image of Santa Claus as a benevolent character became reinforced with its association with charity and philanthropy, particularly by organizations such as the Salvation Army. Volunteers dressed as Santa Claus typically became part of fundraising drives to aid needy families at Christmas time.


title: Santa Claus

text: In 1937, Charles W. Howard, who played Santa Claus in department stores and parades, established the Charles W. Howard Santa School, the oldest continuously-run such school in the world.


title: Santa Claus

text: In some images from the early 20th century, Santa was depicted as personally making his toys by hand in a small workshop like a craftsman. Eventually, the idea emerged that he had numerous elves responsible for making the toys, but the toys were still handmade by each individual elf working in the traditional manner.


title: Santa Claus

text: The 1956 popular song by George Melachrino, "Mrs. Santa Claus", and the 1963 children's book "How Mrs. Santa Claus Saved Christmas", by Phyllis McGinley, helped standardize and establish the character and role of Mrs. Claus in the US.


title: Santa Claus

text: Seabury Quinn's 1948 novel "Roads" draws from historical legends to tell the story of Santa and the origins of Christmas. Other modern additions to the "story" of Santa include Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the 9th and lead reindeer created in 1939 by Robert L. May, a Montgomery Ward copywriter, and


title: Santa Claus

text: Elves had been portrayed as using assembly lines to produce toys early in the 20th century. That shift was reflected in the modern depiction of Santa's residence—now often humorously portrayed as a fully mechanized production and distribution facility, equipped with the latest manufacturing technology, and overseen by the elves with Santa and Mrs. Claus as executives or managers. An excerpt from a 2004 article, from a supply chain managers' trade magazine, aptly illustrates this depiction:


title: Santa Claus

text: In 1912, actor Leedham Bantock became the first actor to be identified as having played Santa Claus in a film. "Santa Claus", which he also directed, included scenes photographed in a limited, two-tone color process and featured the use of detailed models. Since then many feature films have featured Santa Claus as a protagonist, including "Miracle on 34th Street", "The Santa Clause", and "Elf".


title: Santa Claus

text: In the cartoon base, Santa has been voiced by several people, including Stan Francis, Mickey Rooney, Ed Asner, John Goodman, and Keith Wickham.


title: Santa Claus

text: Norman Corwin's 1938 comic radio play "The Plot to Overthrow Christmas", set entirely in rhyme, details a conspiracy of the Devil Mephistopheles and damned figures of history to defeat the good will among men of Christmas, by sending the Roman emperor Nero to the North Pole to assassinate Santa Claus. Through a battle of wits, Santa saves himself by winning Nero over to the joys of Christmas, and gives him a Stradivarius violin. The play was re-produced in 1940 and 1944.


title: Santa Claus

text: Many television commercials, comic strips and other media depict this as a sort of humorous business, with Santa's elves acting as a sometimes mischievously disgruntled workforce, cracking jokes and pulling pranks on their boss. For instance, a "Bloom County" story from 15 December 1981 through 24 December 1981 has Santa rejecting the demands of PETCO (Professional Elves Toy-Making and Craft Organization) for higher wages, a hot tub in the locker room, and "Aggressive recruitment of a wider gender spectrum of employee" ("short broads"}, with the elves then going on strike. President Reagan steps in, fires all of Santa's helpers, and replaces them with out-of-work air traffic controllers (an obvious reference to the 1981 air traffic controllers' strike), resulting in a riot before Santa vindictively rehires them in humiliating new positions such as his reindeer. In the 2001 "The Sopranos" episode, "To Save Us All from Satan's Power", Paulie Gualtieri says he "Used to think Santa and Mrs. Claus were running a sweatshop over there. The original elves were ugly, traveled with Santa to throw bad kids a beatin', and gave the good ones toys."


title: Santa Claus

text: In Kyrgyzstan, a mountain peak was named after Santa Claus, after a Swedish company had suggested the location be a more efficient starting place for present-delivering journeys all over the world, than Lapland. In the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, a Santa Claus Festival was held on 30 December 2007, with government officials attending. 2008 was officially declared the Year of Santa Claus in the country. The events are seen as moves to boost tourism in Kyrgyzstan.


title: Santa Claus

text: The Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of Santa Clauses is held by Thrissur, Kerala, India where on 27 December 2014, 18,112 Santas overtook the previous record. Derry City, Northern Ireland had held the record since 9 September 2007, when a total of 12,965 people dressed up as Santa or Santa's helpers. Prior to that, the record was 3,921, which was set during the Santa Dash event in Liverpool City Centre in 2005. A gathering of Santas in 2009 in Bucharest, Romania attempted to top the world record, but failed with only 3,939 Santas.


title: Santa Claus

text: The tradition of Santa Claus being said to enter dwellings through the chimney is shared by many European seasonal gift-givers. In pre-Christian Norse tradition, Odin would often enter through chimneys and fire holes on the solstice. In the Italian Befana tradition, the gift-giving witch is perpetually covered with soot from her trips down the chimneys of children's homes. In the tale of Saint Nicholas, the saint tossed coins through a window, and, in a later version of the tale, down a chimney when he finds the window locked. In Dutch artist Jan Steen's painting, "The Feast of Saint Nicholas", adults and toddlers are glancing up a chimney with amazement on their faces while other children play with their toys. The hearth was held sacred in primitive belief as a source of beneficence, and popular belief had elves and fairies bringing gifts to the house through this portal. Santa's entrance into homes on Christmas Eve via the chimney was made part of American tradition through the poem ""A Visit from St. Nicholas"" where the author described him as an elf.


title: Santa Claus

text: In the United States and Canada, children traditionally leave a glass of milk and a plate of cookies intended for Santa to consume; in Britain and Australia, sherry or beer, and mince pies are left instead. In Denmark, Norway and Sweden, it is common for children to leave him rice porridge with sugar and cinnamon instead. In Ireland it is popular to leave Guinness or milk, along with Christmas pudding or mince pies.


title: Santa Claus

text: In Hungary, St. Nicolaus (Mikulás) comes on the night of 5 December and the children get their gifts the next morning. They get sweets in a bag if they were good, and a golden colored birch switch if not. On Christmas Eve "Little Jesus" comes and gives gifts for everyone.


title: Santa Claus

text: In Slovenia, Saint Nicholas (Miklavž) also brings small gifts for good children on the eve of 6 December. Božiček (Christmas Man) brings gifts on the eve of 25 December, and Dedek Mraz (Grandfather Frost) brings gifts in the evening of 31 December to be opened on New Years Day.


title: Santa Claus

text: New Zealander, British, Australian, Irish, Canadian, and American children also leave a carrot for Santa's reindeer, and are told that if they are not good all year round that they will receive a lump of coal in their stockings, although the actual practice of giving coal is now considered archaic. Children following the Dutch custom for "sinterklaas" will "put out their shoe" (leave hay and a carrot for his horse in a shoe before going to bed, sometimes weeks before the "sinterklaas avond"). The next morning they will find the hay and carrot replaced by a gift; often, this is a marzipan figurine. Naughty children were once told that they would be left a "roe" (a bundle of sticks) instead of sweets, but this practice has been discontinued.


title: Santa Claus

text: After the children have fallen asleep, parents play the role of Santa Claus and leave their gifts under the Christmas tree. Tags on gifts for children are sometimes signed by their parents "From Santa Claus" before the gifts are laid beneath the tree.


title: Santa Claus

text: Santa is generally depicted as a portly, jolly, white-bearded man, often with spectacles, wearing a red coat with white fur collar and cuffs, white-fur-cuffed red trousers, red hat with white fur, and black leather belt and boots, carrying a bag full of gifts for children. This image became popular in the United States and Canada in the 19th century due to the significant influence of the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas". Caricaturist and political cartoonist Thomas Nast also played a role in the creation of Santa's image.


title: Santa Claus

text: Though most often portrayed as White, Santa is also depicted as Black or of other races. His race or color is sometimes a subject of controversy.


title: Santa Claus

text: Ho ho ho is the way that many languages write out how Santa Claus laughs. "Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas!" It is the textual rendition of a particular type of deep-throated laugh or chuckle, most associated today with Santa Claus and Father Christmas.


title: Santa Claus

text: The laughter of Santa Claus has long been an important attribute by which the character is identified, but it also does not appear in many non-English-speaking countries. The traditional 1823 Christmas poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" relates that Santa has:


title: Santa Claus

text: Santa Claus's home is traditionally said to include a residence and a workshop where he is said to create—often with the aid of elves or other supernatural beings—the gifts he is said to deliver to good children at Christmas. Some stories and legends include a village, inhabited by his helpers, surrounding his home and shop.


title: Santa Claus

text: In North American tradition (in the United States and Canada), Santa is said to live at the North Pole, which according to Canada Post lies within Canadian jurisdiction in postal code H0H 0H0 (a reference to "ho ho ho", Santa's notable saying, although postal codes starting with H are usually reserved for the island of Montréal in Québec). On 23 December 2008, Jason Kenney, Canada's minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, formally awarded Canadian citizenship status to Santa Claus. "The Government of Canada wishes Santa the very best in his Christmas Eve duties and wants to let him know that, as a Canadian citizen, he has the automatic right to re-enter Canada once his trip around the world is complete," Kenney said in an official statement.


title: Santa Claus

text: There is also a city named North Pole in Alaska where a tourist attraction known as the "Santa Claus House" has been established. The United States Postal Service uses the city's ZIP code of 99705 as their advertised postal code for Santa Claus. A Wendy's in North Pole, AK has also claimed to have a "sleigh fly through".


title: Santa Claus

text: Each Nordic country claims Santa's residence to be within their territory. Norway claims he lives in Drøbak. In Denmark, he is said to live in Greenland (near Uummannaq). In Sweden, the town of Mora has a theme park named Tomteland. The national postal terminal in Tomteboda in Stockholm receives children's letters for Santa. In Finland, Korvatunturi has long been known as Santa's home, and two theme parks, Santa Claus Village and Santa Park are located near Rovaniemi. In Belarus, there is a home of Ded Moroz in Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park.


title: Santa Claus

text: In France, Santa is believed to reside in 1 Chemin des Nuages, Pôle Nord (1 Alley of Clouds, North Pole). The French national postal service has operated a service that allows children to send letters to Père Noël since 1962. In the period before Christmas, any physical letter in the country that is addressed to Santa Claus is sent to a specific location, where responses for the children’s letters are written and sent back to the children.


title: Santa Claus

text: Actors portraying Santa Claus appear in the weeks before Christmas in department stores or shopping malls, or at parties. The practice of this has been credited to James Edgar, as he started doing this in 1890 in his Brockton, Massachusetts department store. The actor dressed up as Santa is usually helped by other actors (often mall employees) dressed as elves or other creatures of folklore associated with Santa. His function is either to promote the store's image by distributing small gifts to children, or to provide a seasonal experience to children by listening to their wishlist while having them sit on his knee (a practice now under review by some organisations in Britain, and Switzerland). Sometimes a photograph of the child and actor portraying Santa are taken. Having a Santa actor set up to take pictures with children is a ritual that dates back at least to 1918.


title: Santa Claus

text: The area set up for this purpose is festively decorated, usually with a large throne, and is called variously "Santa's Grotto", "Santa's Workshop" or a similar term. In the United States, the most notable of these is the Santa at the flagship Macy's store in New York City—he arrives at the store by sleigh in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on the last float, and his court takes over a large portion of one floor in the store. The Macy's Santa Claus in New York City is often said to be "the real Santa." This was popularized by the 1947 film "Miracle on 34th Street" with Santa Claus being called Kris Kringle. Essayist David Sedaris is known for the satirical SantaLand Diaries he kept while working as an elf in the Macy's display, which were turned into a famous radio segment and later published.


title: Santa Claus

text: In Canada, malls operated by Oxford Properties established a process by which autistic children could "visit Santa Claus" at the mall without having to contend with crowds. The malls open early to allow entry only to families with autistic children, who have a private visit with the actor portraying Santa Claus. In 2012, the Southcentre Mall in Calgary was the first mall to offer this service.


title: Santa Claus

text: In the United Kingdom, discount store Poundland changes the voice of its self-service checkouts to that of Santa Claus throughout the Christmas retail period.


title: Santa Claus

text: There are schools offering instruction on how to act as Santa Claus. For example, children's television producer Jonathan Meath studied at the International School of Santa Claus and earned the degree "Master of Santa Claus" in 2006. It blossomed into a second career for him, and after appearing in parades and malls, he appeared on the cover of the American monthly "Boston Magazine" as Santa. There are associations with members who portray Santa; for example, Mr. Meath was a board member of the international organization called "Fraternal Order of Real Bearded Santas."


title: Santa Claus

text: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many Santa grottos were not operating for the 2020 Christmas season. Due to this, some companies offered video calls for a fee using apps such as Zoom where children could talk to an actor dressed up as Santa Claus at the other end.


title: Santa Claus

text: In 2021, Walt Disney World and Disneyland featured for the first time Black cast members portraying Santa.


title: Santa Claus

text: Writing letters to Santa Claus has been a Christmas tradition for children for many years. These letters normally contain a wishlist of toys and assertions of good behavior. Some social scientists have found that boys and girls write different types of letters. Girls generally write longer but more polite lists and express the nature of Christmas more in their letters than in letters written by boys. Girls also more often request gifts for other people.


title: Santa Claus

text: Many postal services allow children to send letters to Santa Claus. These letters may be answered by postal workers or outside volunteers. Writing letters to Santa Claus has the educational benefits of promoting literacy, computer literacy, and e-mail literacy. A letter to Santa is often a child's first experience of correspondence. Written and sent with the help of a parent or teacher, children learn about the structure of a letter, salutations, and the use of an address and postcode.


title: Santa Claus

text: According to the Universal Postal Union (UPU)'s 2007 study and survey of national postal operations, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has the oldest Santa letter answering effort by a national postal system. The USPS Santa letter answering effort started in 1912 out of the historic James Farley Post Office in New York, and since 1940 has been called "Operation Santa" to ensure that letters to Santa are adopted by charitable organizations, major corporations, local businesses and individuals in order to fulfill the wishes of children. Those seeking a North Pole holiday postmark through the USPS, are told to send their letter from Santa or a holiday greeting card by 10 December to: North Pole Holiday Postmark, Postmaster, 4141 Postmark Dr, Anchorage, AK 99530–9998.


title: Santa Claus

text: In 2006, according to the UPU's 2007 study and survey of national postal operations, France's Postal Service received the most letters for Santa Claus or "Père Noël" with 1,220,000 letters received from 126 countries. France's Postal Service in 2007 specially recruited someone to answer the enormous volume of mail that was coming from Russia for Santa Claus.


title: Santa Claus

text: Other Santa letter processing information, according to the UPU's 2007 study and survey of national postal operations, include:


title: Santa Claus

text: Canada Post has a special postal code for letters to Santa Claus, and since 1982 over 13,000 Canadian postal workers have volunteered to write responses. His address is: Santa Claus, North Pole, Canada, H0H 0H0; no postage is required. (see also: Ho ho ho). (This postal code, in which zeroes are used for the letter "O", is consistent with the alternating letter-number format of all Canadian postal codes.) Sometimes children's charities answer letters in poor communities, or from children's hospitals, and give them presents they would not otherwise receive. From 2002 to 2014, the program replied to approximately "one million letters or more a year, and in total answered more than 24.7 million letters"; as of 2015, it responds to more than 1.5 million letters per year, "in over 30 languages, including Braille answering them all in the language they are written".


title: Santa Claus

text: In Britain it is traditional for some to burn the Christmas letters on the fire, magically transporting them by wind to the North Pole. According to the Royal Mail website, Santa's address for letters from British children is: Santa/Father Christmas, Santa's Grotto, Reindeerland, XM4 5HQ


title: Santa Claus

text: In Mexico and other Latin American countries, besides using the mail, sometimes children wrap their letters to a small helium balloon, releasing them into the air so Santa magically receives them.


title: Santa Claus

text: In 2010, the Brazilian National Post Service, "Correios" formed partnerships with public schools and social institutions to encourage children to write letters and make use of postcodes and stamps. In 2009, the Brazilian National Post Service, "Correios" answered almost two million children's letters, and spread some seasonal cheer by donating 414,000 Christmas gifts to some of Brazil's neediest citizens.


title: Santa Claus

text: Through the years, the Finnish Santa Claus (Joulupukki or "Yule Goat") has received over eight million letters. He receives over 600,000 letters every year from over 198 countries with Togo being the most recent country added to the list. Children from Great Britain, Poland and Japan are the busiest writers. The Finnish Santa Claus lives in Korvatunturi, near the Santa Claus Main Post Office in Rovaniemi precisely at the Arctic circle. His mailing address is: Santa Claus' Main Post Office, Santa Claus Village, FIN-96930 Arctic Circle. The post office welcomes 300,000 visitors a year, with 70,000 visitors in December alone.


title: Santa Claus

text: Children can also receive a letter from Santa through a variety of private agencies and organizations, and on occasion public and private cooperative ventures. An example of a public and private cooperative venture is the opportunity for expatriate and local children and parents to receive postmarked mail and greeting cards from Santa during December in the Finnish Embassy in Beijing, People's Republic of China, Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, Finland, and the People's Republic of China Postal System's Beijing International Post Office. Parents can order a personalized "Santa letter" to be sent to their child, often with a North Pole postmark. The "Santa Letter" market generally relies on the Internet as a medium for ordering such letters rather than retail stores.


title: Santa Claus

text: A number of websites created by various organizations claim to track Santa Claus each year. Some, such as NORAD Tracks Santa, the Google Santa Tracker, the emailSanta.com Tracker and the Santa Update Project, have endured. Others, such as the Airservices Australia Tracks Santa Project, the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport's Tracks Santa Project, the NASA Tracks Santa Project, and the Bing Maps Platform Tracks Santa Project, no longer actively track Santa.


title: Santa Claus

text: The origins of the NORAD Tracks Santa programme began in the United States in 1955, when a Sears Roebuck store in Colorado Springs, Colorado, gave children a number to call a "Santa hotline". The number was mistyped, resulting in children calling the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) on Christmas Eve instead. The Director of Operations, Colonel Harry Shoup, received the first call for Santa and responded by claiming to children that there were signs on the radar that Santa was indeed heading south from the North Pole. A tradition began, which continued under the name NORAD Tracks Santa when in 1958 Canada and the United States jointly created the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD). This "tracking" can now be done via the Internet and NORAD's website.


title: Santa Claus

text: In the past, many local television stations in the United States and Canada likewise claimed they "tracked Santa Claus" in their own metropolitan areas through the stations' meteorologists. In December 2000, the Weather Channel built upon these local efforts to provide a national Christmas Eve "Santa tracking" effort, called "SantaWatch", in cooperation with NASA, the International Space Station, and Silicon Valley-based new multimedia firm Dreamtime Holdings. Currently, most local television stations in the United States and Canada rely upon outside established "Santa tracking" efforts, such as NORAD Tracks Santa.


title: Santa Claus

text: Many other websites became available year-round, devoted to Santa Claus and purport to keep tabs on his activities in his workshop. Many of these websites also include email addresses or web forms which claim to allow children to send email to Santa Claus. One particular website called emailSanta.com was created when a 1997 Canada Post strike prevented Alan Kerr's young niece and nephews from sending their letters to Santa; in a few weeks, over 1,000 emails to Santa were received, and the site had received 1,000 emails a day one year later. Some websites, such as Santa's page on Microsoft's former Windows Live Spaces or emailSanta.com, have used or still use "bots" or other automated programs to compose and send personalized and realistic replies. Microsoft's website has given occasional profane results.


title: Santa Claus

text: In addition to providing holiday-themed entertainment, "Santa tracking" websites raise interest in space technology and exploration, serve to educate children in geography and encourage them to take an interest in science.


title: Santa Claus

text: Santa Claus has partial Christian roots in Saint Nicholas, particularly in the high church denominations that practice the veneration of him, in addition to other saints. In light of this, the character has sometimes been the focus of controversy over the holiday and its meanings. A number of denominations of Christians have varying concerns about Santa Claus, which range from acceptance to denouncement. Some Christians, particularly Calvinists such as the Puritans, disliked the idea of Santa Claus, as well as Christmas in general, believing that the lavish celebrations were not in accordance with their faith. Other nonconformist Christians condemn the materialist focus of contemporary gift giving and see Santa Claus as the symbol of that culture.


title: Santa Claus

text: Condemnation of Christmas was prevalent among the 17th-century English Puritans and Dutch Calvinists who banned the holiday as either pagan or Roman Catholic. The American colonies established by these groups reflected this view. Tolerance for Christmas increased after the Restoration but the Puritan opposition to the holiday persisted in New England for almost two centuries. In the Dutch New Netherland colony, season celebrations focused on New Year's Day.


title: Santa Claus

text: Following the Restoration of the monarchy and with Puritans out of power in England, the ban on Christmas was satirized in works such as Josiah King's "The Examination and Tryal of Old Father Christmas; Together with his Clearing by the Jury" (1686).


title: Santa Claus

text: Reverend Paul Nedergaard, a clergyman in Copenhagen, Denmark, attracted controversy in 1958 when he declared Santa to be a "heathen goblin" ("en hedensk trold" in Danish) after Santa's image was used on the annual Christmas stamp ("julemærke") for a Danish children's welfare organization.


title: Santa Claus

text: Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Christian Science movement, wrote: "the children should not be taught that Santa Claus has aught to do with this [Christmas] pastime. A deceit or falsehood is never wise. Too much cannot be done towards guarding and guiding well the germinating and inclining thought of childhood. To mould aright the first impressions of innocence, aids in perpetuating purity and in unfolding the immortal model, man in His image and likeness."


title: Santa Claus

text: Under the Marxist–Leninist doctrine of state atheism in the Soviet Union after its foundation in 1917, Christmas celebrations—along with other religious holidays—were prohibited as a result of the Soviet antireligious campaign. The League of Militant Atheists encouraged school pupils to campaign against Christmas traditions, among them being Santa Claus and the Christmas tree, as well as other Christian holidays including Easter; the League established an antireligious holiday to be the 31st of each month as a replacement.


title: Santa Claus

text: In December 2018, the city management office of Langfang in Hebei province released a statement stating that people caught selling Christmas trees, wreaths, stockings or Santa Claus figures in the city would be punished.


title: Santa Claus

text: In his book "Nicholas: The Epic Journey from Saint to Santa Claus", writer Jeremy Seal describes how the commercialization of the Santa Claus figure began in the 19th century. "In the 1820s he began to acquire the recognizable trappings: reindeer, sleigh, bells," said Seal in an interview. "They are simply the actual bearings in the world from which he emerged. At that time, sleighs were how you got about Manhattan."