Children are spellbound with the history of Santa

Library patrons learned all about their favorite Christmas hero as storyteller & historian Barry Bradford presented "The Fascinating History and Story of Santa" program at Aspen Drive Library in Vernon Hills Tuesday.

Almost 70 people attended the fun and festive program following the story of St. Nicholas from a charitable local religious figure to his transition into an international symbol of kindness and generosity.

"I'm always fascinated by how things that we take for granted today develop historically. Santa Claus is so universally recognized that if you were to walk into a shopping mall in Tokyo, Japan, right now you would see Santa Claus and hear Christmas carols," said Bradford, of Deerfield. "I think people love knowing how a symbol of goodness and kindness came to be universal."

Using clips from various holiday movies, Bradford tried to illustrate and answer the questions that are so often asked about St. Nick and his famous reindeer.

Additionally, Barry discussed the development of Christmas songs into popular icons by explaining how songs like "White Christmas," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" turned into modern treasures.