What would Christmas be without Santa Claus? What would the Christmas season be like without taking the kids – or pets – to see Santa Claus at the mall?

Before there were malls, there were department stores. Downtown New Bedford was flush with them, such as Cherry & Webb, Star Store and Wings, to name a few, and others spread throughout the city, such as Arlan's, Mars Bargainland and Cove Discount.

Before there were mall Santas, there were department store Santas.

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One particular Santa Claus stands out because he was the first department store Santa in America. His name was James "Colonel Jim" Edgar, and he lived in Brockton.

Yankee's New England.com says children could only dream of meeting Santa Claus until James Edgar "changed all that for good."

"In December of 1890, Edgar gave America the first department store Santa Claus," according to the site.

New England.com says Edgar, who owned a dry goods store on Main Street in Brockton, "took the train to Boston and had a Santa costume tailored especially for him."

"A few weeks before Christmas, he made his first appearance," the site says.

This Massachusetts City Had The First Department Store Santa
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New England.com says, "Children began arriving by train from Boston, Providence, Worcester, and even New York." The following year, department stores everywhere had their own Santa Claus.

Entrepreneur James Edgar was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1843. In 1878, Edgar arrived in Brockton.

The Brockton Enterprise says Edgar was known to dress up as other characters, including George Washington, a clown and an Indian, and walk the streets of Brockton.

The Enterprise says Edgar suffered a stroke in 1904 that left him partially paralyzed. He died in 1909 at his summer home in Lakeville.

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Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz

Retro to Robo-Santa: AI visualizes what Santa looks like through the ages

Utilizing Freepik’s AI image generator, AI was asked to visualize what Santa looks like in the past and present, and what jolly old St. Nick might look like in years to come.

From a classic, retro Santa to an 80s action star, a 2000s boy bander, a hipster, a woman, and a futuristic robo-Santa, Freepik’s visualizations know no bounds when it comes to what Santa may have looked like and could look like. (Is it weird that I find some of these Santa’s attractive? YIKES!)

Gallery Credit: Courtesy: FreePik

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