You have to give the big guy a lot of credit. Fame can be a heavy burden. Over time the spotlight’s glare tends to reveal our less than lovely features, and he’s been in the spotlight longer than almost anybody.

He’s been riding high (literally and figuratively) since long before the arrival of Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, Charlie Brown and The Grinch who stole Christmas.

With his lush white beard, plump profile and boundless good cheer, Santa embodied the true Spirit of Christmas (past, present and future) even before Dickens introduced us to Scrooge’s spectral visitors.

Unruffled by the shifting winds of culture and a blizzard of technological and social change, the big guy’s reputation as a cultural icon has only increased through the years.

The fact that the inflatable “puffy” Santa tethered to a trailer on a Maine dirt road so closely resembles the “right jolly old elf” described in such baroque detail in C. Clement Moore’s early 19th century poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (‘twas the night before Christmas) speaks eloquently of his enduring appeal.

These days any superhero (and that’s an appellation for which he more than qualifies) is expected to arrive with a colorful back story; and Santa’s is as good as they get. Befitting his legendary status, his origins are shrouded in myth and mystery.

Historians trace his earliest appearances back to the fourth century, when a Greek Saint by the name of Nikolaos (a.k.a. “the wonder worker”) was inspired to place coins inside the shoes his followers left outside their doors on the eve of the mid-December Feast Day of St. Nikolaos.

By the time the 16th century rolled around, the English-speaking world knew him simply as Father Christmas. Good-natured and generous, he was still busy handing out gifts, this time from a sack slung across his broad shoulders, joyously spreading holiday cheer throughout the land.

Naturally any super hero worth his bulletproof tights needs a totally awesome working costume right? Well, apparently during an extended tour of The Netherlands (one which lasted most of the 17th century) the big guy decided to go for a “new look.”

Having cultivated his flowing white beard, he then proceeded to embark upon a radical fashion makeover emerging several weeks later at an undisclosed location east of Delft, sporting his now legendary red-velvet outfit with the snappy white fur accents.

The Dutch went nuts for his new look (in case you were wondering “going nuts” is not something the Dutch are particularly well known for) and soon took to calling him “Sinterklaas” a name, which over the years has morphed into our modern Santa Claus.

It should come as no surprise that a fellow who manages one of the biggest toy workshops on the planet possesses some sharp business skills. “Santa’s Workshop employs 98 percent of the elves on the globe at good wages with generous benefits,” according to Forbes Magazine.*

Rumor also has it that he secured the copyright on his name and likeness shortly before signing a major product endorsement agreement with The Coca Cola Company sometime back in the 1940s.

And while we’re on the subject, what’s the story with that toy workshop anyway? Do we actually expect people to believe Santa keeps track of all those toys then hand delivers them around the globe in a single night?

Um, in a word YES!

Of course there will always be a few skeptics in the crowd. You can spot ‘em at a glance. They’re the uptight folks with long faces and furrowed brows, grumbling into their eggnog and tossing out the same irrelevant questions year after year after year.

“Does he deliver all those presents personally?”

“By what specific physical mechanism are those reindeer of his able to fly?”

My advice: If, heaven forfend, you ever find yourself asking questions of that sort, you should instantly realize that you’ve just missed the entire point!

Do you ask superman how he “leaps tall buildings in a single bound?” You most certainly do not!

Would you try to determine the precise GPS coordinates of the Bat Cave? To what end?

My wife and I plan to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at our home in Washington County. We’re really hoping that at least one of our adult children will join us for the festivities.

But whether that happens or not, we’re confident that Santa will pay us a visit. And frankly that’s all we really need to know. As far as we’re concerned, exactly how he gets the job done is, was and always will be none of our darned business. Happy Christmas, everyone!

*I totally made that up!