Okay here is more on Santa's origin......
Similarities of Santa & the Norse God Odin.

Sinterklaas was adopted by the country's English-speaking majority under the name Santa Claus, and his legend of a kindly old man was united with old Nordic folktales of a magician who punished naughty children and rewarded good children with presents. ("Santa Claus" Encyclopedia Britannica 99).
Other similarities:
- Odin has a long white beard
- Odin lived in the North (Valhalla)
- Odin rode through the sky on a horse on the Winter Solstice
- He rewarded good children with gifts
(Crichton, Robin. Who is Santa Claus? The Truth Behind a Living Legend. Bath: The Bath Press, 1987, pp. 55-56)