In Belgium we originally did not have Santa Claus but St. Nicolas. We celebrate him on the 6th of december and there is also a horrible story linked with it.
Once there was this man who kidnapped three little boys and killed them. He sliced them up like meat and put them in a barrel with salt (for keeping the meat fresh). But one day this old man heard the children's cry for help and decides to rescue them. When he came in the cellar of the butcher the children were already dead. But this man, Nicolas was his name, put on some magic, like his collegue Jezus and brought back those children. When this man dead, the church made him a holy man and untill this day we still thank St.Nicolas for his noble deed. So St.Nicolas is not really from Spain, but he lives there because the weather is better for his artitis <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />
Isn't Santa (the one we celebrate on 25th of december) coming from "Lapland"?