James Edgar is recognized by the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame as the first department-store Santa, greeting guests in a custom-made suit for the first time in 1890.

Is Santa real? In an age of AI and misinformation, he's the one real thing we can cling to. You won't find a person on this earth who can definitively show you that Santa Claus exists.

Santa Claus' origins date back to about 280 A.D. when St. Nicholas was born, the History Channel reports. This would make Santa approximately 1,744 years old today. Need a break?