Yule history is replete with holiday iconography such as mistletoe, holly, and the yule log. There is a singular icon, however, that is associated with the winter solstice by pagans and non-pagans alike. That icon is the familiar image of Santa Claus.
The history of Santa Claus usually starts with the legend of St. Nicholas, a kindly Christian saint born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra, in modern-day Turkey. Although this is where the "official" history begins, dig a little further into the past and you will discover that the icon of St. Nick was around quite earlier.