Christmas 2023: 11 cute photos of Santa Claus around the world

'Santa Claus' as a child, the name will evoke wonderful childhood memories of receiving gifts from a jolly, white-haired man during the festive season... oh, those were the days (or are, if you're young and lucky!). Santa Claus is undoubtedly one of the most well-known figures in the world.   

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Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a mythological person from Western Christian culture who is claimed to deliver presents on Christmas Eve in the late evening and nighttime hours.

He is claimed to achieve this with the help of Christmas elves who build the presents in his North Pole workshop, as well as flying reindeer that carry his sleigh through the skies.

A man is setting up giant figurines of Santa Claus at a market ahead of Christmas in Kolkata, India.

A giant Santa Claus Styrofoam figure is on display as a Christmas decoration in Kolkata city streets.

Jose Miguel Moctezuma Gonzalez, a street artist specializing in human statues and makeup, is dressing as Father Christmas and interacting with several people at various stations of the Metro Collective Transport System in Mexico City. 

Santa Claus celebrates after the Bundesliga match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and VfL Bochum 1848 at BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany.

Christmas parade with Santa Claus and Santa's helper elf on board an electric Red Corvette inside the Christmas Markets in Piazza Solferino during the Christmas Holidays in Turin, Italy. 

A diver dressed in a Santa Claus outfit poses for a photo at the Sea Life aquarium to mark the Christmas season in Bangkok.

Santa Claus gives lollipops to pediatric patients at Germans Trias Hospital, from a zip line along the hospital's façade in Badalona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. 

People dressed as Santa Claus ride bicycles near the Colosseum to raise funds for children with cancer, organized by the non-profit organization "Peter Pan", during the Christmas holidays in Rome, Italy. 

Boats carrying rowers dressed as Santa Claus sail down the Grand Canal during the Christmas water pageant in Venice, Italy.

People, wearing Santa Claus costumes, pose for a photo as they gather to ride bicycles through the streets of the city in aid of children ahead of the upcoming Christmas Eve in Rome, Italy.