Santa Claus was not always a cheerful old man. He didn't always wear a huge red suit, and he didn't always have long white whiskers.Santa Claus was a child long before he dwelt in the North Pole and before his annual Christmas visits brought joy to all the children of the world. He used to be a normal infant boy named Nicholas. The baby boy seemed like any other, but his parents had high hopes for their only child. He was given the name Nicholas, which means "people's hero."