Will The Real Santa Claus Please Stand Up?

We always think of Santa Claus as an incredibly old man - positively ancient - but the fact is, he's exactly 150-years-old, born in 1863. Indeed, we might be thinking of Santa's predecessor St. Nicholas, who is far older, believed to have been a Turkish bishop in the 300s. But the first European winter gift-bringer is even more of a geezer, going back to ancient Germanic paganism and the Norse god Odin.
So who is Santa? What does he stand for? How should he be depicted? Collectors Weekly takes a historical look at these burning questions.