Children are always looking for things to believe in: fairies, unicorns, mermaids, and of course Santa. For a holiday about joy and whimsical winter cheer, having a face for the holiday makes sense.
Cartoonists for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch have used Santa Claus to comment on issues from coal pollution to poverty over the decades. Published Dec. 23, 1894 • Santa Claus: "The snow, the snow, the ...