He lives in the North Pole and rides around in a sleigh, slipping down chimneys and leaving presents under the tree.
Americans all know the story of Santa Claus ... with a few minor variations.
The more people you quiz, the more you realize that Santa is an improviser. In Manhattan, he takes a cab and then the elevator. In the swamps of Louisiana, the local Cajuns claim his sleigh is pulled by flying possums.
Old Kris Kringle can also tell us a lot about a country's self image.
A group of British tourists in New York said that Santa comes to England first and leaves them the biggest presents.
A Scottish visitor, on the other hand, complained that they get all the leftovers -- five hours after Santa stops in New York.
At least he shows up. There are plenty of Santa-forsaken corners of the world, like Venezuela where Baby Jesus delivers the presents, while in Germany they await the arrival of the Christmas Angel.
There is a Santa look-alike in Holland, but he is actually St. Nicholas, the former Bishop of Turkey. He rides a white horse and arrives on a boat, and instead of elves, he is accompanied by six to eight black men.
Bad Santa?
The children of Greece sing carols and enjoy sweets while fending off the Kalikanzari -- goblins from the center of the earth who come down the chimney to cause mischief.
"They extinguish the fire in the fireplaces. They sour the milk ... and sometimes they ride on your back," explained Melina McGrew, a native of Greece.
They have similar problems in Iceland, where there are 13 Santas. Instead of bringing gifts, they take turns sneaking into town and creeping out the locals.
"One of them is a window peeper. He just peeks through windows. One of them comes in and licks your spoons," said Iceland native, Hoffy Steingrimdottir.
The 13 Santas live in the mountains with their troll-like mother and her giant cat, which eats all the children who don't receive new clothes for Christmas. They party for 13 nights, and then things really get interesting.
"That's when people come out of their graves," said Steingrimdottir. "Seals take on human form. And cows develop human speech."
The moral of the story? It doesn't matter what you believe as long as you believe.
The other moral of the story? They've got some good hooch in Iceland.
This story was originally reported by ABC News' Bill Weir on "Good Morning America" Weekend.
Americans all know the story of Santa Claus ... with a few minor variations.
The more people you quiz, the more you realize that Santa is an improviser. In Manhattan, he takes a cab and then the elevator. In the swamps of Louisiana, the local Cajuns claim his sleigh is pulled by flying possums.
Old Kris Kringle can also tell us a lot about a country's self image.
A group of British tourists in New York said that Santa comes to England first and leaves them the biggest presents.
A Scottish visitor, on the other hand, complained that they get all the leftovers -- five hours after Santa stops in New York.
At least he shows up. There are plenty of Santa-forsaken corners of the world, like Venezuela where Baby Jesus delivers the presents, while in Germany they await the arrival of the Christmas Angel.
There is a Santa look-alike in Holland, but he is actually St. Nicholas, the former Bishop of Turkey. He rides a white horse and arrives on a boat, and instead of elves, he is accompanied by six to eight black men.
Bad Santa?
The children of Greece sing carols and enjoy sweets while fending off the Kalikanzari -- goblins from the center of the earth who come down the chimney to cause mischief.
"They extinguish the fire in the fireplaces. They sour the milk ... and sometimes they ride on your back," explained Melina McGrew, a native of Greece.
They have similar problems in Iceland, where there are 13 Santas. Instead of bringing gifts, they take turns sneaking into town and creeping out the locals.
"One of them is a window peeper. He just peeks through windows. One of them comes in and licks your spoons," said Iceland native, Hoffy Steingrimdottir.
The 13 Santas live in the mountains with their troll-like mother and her giant cat, which eats all the children who don't receive new clothes for Christmas. They party for 13 nights, and then things really get interesting.
"That's when people come out of their graves," said Steingrimdottir. "Seals take on human form. And cows develop human speech."
The moral of the story? It doesn't matter what you believe as long as you believe.
The other moral of the story? They've got some good hooch in Iceland.
This story was originally reported by ABC News' Bill Weir on "Good Morning America" Weekend.