The "Coca-Cola" Santa Claus created by artist Haddon Sundblom helped define the image we have of Santa today - friendly, plump and decked out in a red, fur-trimmed suit. Sundblom took inspiration from political cartoonist Thomas Nast and Clement Moore's poem, The Night Before Christmas. His vision of Santa starting appearing in Coke ads way back in 1931, and he continued drawing for the Coca-Cola company for the next 33 years.

Vintage Coca Cola 1950 Christmas Ad Store Sign FOR SANTA KIDS WITH A TREAT    US $3.99

VINTAGE COCA COLA RUSHTON SANTA CLAUS DOLL    US $15.50

VINTAGE 1986 COCA COLA COKE SUNDBLOM SANTA CLAUS ORNAMENT NEW IN BOX    US $3.49

Vintage Coca Cola Bottle Cap Christmas Tree Ornament Depicting Santa Claus MINT    US $4.99

vintage coca cola glass platter christmas santa plate 13 in diameter collectible    US $2.99

Vintage 1955 Coca Cola Coke Time Calendar with 1954 Santa December Page    US $45.00

Vintage Coca Cola Santa Playing Cards 2 decks MIB    US $4.95

VINTAGE COCA COLA SANTA TIN COASTERS SET OF SIX    US $2.99

Coca cola Santa Clause Christmas Mug Ceramic Vintage look    US $3.99

Vintage 1989 Seasons Greetings Coca Cola Santa EUVC    US $5.53

Lot 4 Vintage Coca Cola Advertisements 1940 60s Santa Claus    US $.99

Vintage Coca Cola Ink Block Wooden with metal face Featuring Santa    US $10.00

Vintage Coca Cola Christmas Glass with Santa and Snow Flake Design COKE Design    US $8.91

Coca Cola Coke Santa Shirt 1955 Santa SUPERB VINTAGE M    US $9.99

Coca Cola Vintage Lunchbox Ornament with the Classic Coke Santa New    US $4.99

Vintage playing cards in tin Coca Cola Santa from 1996 images of 1964 1952    US $2.00

COKE Coca Cola Soda Pop Winter Girl Santa Vintage Advertising Tin Sign 1690    US $16.99

COCA COLA MAGNETS VINTAGE SANTA WITH CLIP TO HOLD ITEMS    US $6.99

Free Printable Santa Template Description

If you're helping Santa Claus answer his mail this year, check out these free printable Santa letter templates. The template on this page has an image of a decorate Christmas tree surrounded by presents in the bottom right corner of the page, and the top has a headline that says, "A Message from Santa Claus."

This template is saved as a Microsoft Word document, and you will need MS Word 97 or newer to open it. It will NOT open with Microsoft Works. But you can get a free trial of Microsoft Office 2010 if you need help opening the file.

Simply click the image to open the file in Microsoft Word. You can then edit it as you would edit any other Word doc.

Printable Free Santa Letter Template Description

If you're helping Santa Claus answer his mail this year, check out these free printable Santa letter templates. This template has an image of Santa's face with his long beard and hat framing the upper corner of the page, and the bottom has the words "Merry Christmas."

This template is saved as a Microsoft Word document, and you will need MS Word 97 or newer to open it. It will NOT open with Microsoft Works. But you can get a free trial of Microsoft Office 2010 if you need help opening the file.

Simply click the image to open the file in Microsoft Word. You can then edit it as you would edit any other Word doc.

The Santa letter template at this site is available as a Microsoft Word download, and you can read the full text of the letter on the download page. The design of the letter is simple, but functional. The top of the page says, "From the Desk of Santa" and the bottom of the page features an image of Santa looking over his Naughty and Nice list.

But it's even better when it's free.

There is some fine print, however. Like products that are free after rebate, you're going to have to pay for a membership to Instaletter before you can get your money back and end up with a "free" membership. But if you're willing to entice a few friends or family members to join the service, too, Instaletter will pay you $5 for each referral. Not bad, eh? With just three referrals, your membership is free. And if you're the persuasive type with a lot of friends, you might even end up making some money for Christmas.

Convincing others (and yourself, too!) to sign up shouldn't be hard. This is a great service that helps you create terrific-looking Santa letters in minutes. You simply select one of the letter templates, (such as one for children on Santa's Nice List or another for children who've recently visited Santa Claus in person). Then you personalize that letter with your child's name, accomplishments, friends' names, hometown, etc.

Next you select a background for your personalized Santa letter from more than a dozen available designs. You can personalize these even more by dragging and dropping images of Santa, Mrs. Claus, reindeer, Christmas trees, elves and more. Once you've finished designing your stationery and customizing your text, you can also personalize a matching envelope with the same simplicity. Then you simply print it out and your Santa letter is ready for delivery!

Visit Instaletter to try it out yourself.