He painted pictures for Christmas poems. Someone asked him to paint a picture of Santa Claus.
Nast remembered when he was a little boy in southern Germany. Every Christmas, a fat old man gave toys and cakes to the children.
So, when Nast painted the picture, his Santa Claus looked like the kindly old man of his childhood.
And through the years, Nast's painting has remained as the most popular picture of Santa Claus.
Santa can be seen almost everywhere in large American cities during the Christmas season.
Some stand on street corners asking for money to buy food and gifts for the needy.
Others are found in stores and shopping centers. It is easy to find them by the long lines of children waiting to tell Santa what they want for Chirstmas.
If one took a vote among children to learn who their favorite person was, there is no question who would win -- Santa Claus.
