What color is Santa Claus?

During our Meet the Characters Buffets for A Christmas Carol, Father Christmas showed up in a green robe and hat trimmed in white and the Ghost of Christmas Present came a-calling in a maroon robe trimmed in Erman wearing a red beard and wreath of holly berries. The children were confused because Santa wasn't there in his red suit, black boots, and white beard.

Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, is a gift-giving figure in various cultures who distributes presents to children, traditionally on December 24, Christmas Eve. The popular American form Santa Claus originated as a mispronunciation of Dutch Sinterklaas, which is a contracted form of Sint Nicolaas (Saint Nicholas).

Father Christmas is a well-loved figure in many countries and predates the "Santa Claus" character. "Father Christmas" is similar in many ways, though the two have quite different origins. As with all mythical figures I am most facinated by the mixture of origins that come together to create a character with mass appeal. But in today's homigenized culture there is little room for variation or complexity. For today's children Santa is black and white. I find that a loss.