No, it's not a joke, Santa Claus IS real and he's actually quite creepy - facially, that is. He wasn't made a saint for no reason. So, who is the man behind the myth? Saint Nicholas was also known as Nikolaos of Myra; a 4th Century Christian Saint and Greek Bishop of Myra. How we came to believe that Santa Claus lives in the North Pole gets a little confusing by this point considering the fact that he was a Bishop who resided in Patara, Turkey!
St. Nicholas had quite the reputation as a wonderworker as he would often practice secret gift giving by leaving coins in children's shoes, and so the tradition of Christmas was born. However, the saint was a patron of many things, including sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves, and pawnbrokers. Busy guy.