Have you got a cite for that? Because the name Sinterklaas seems to be fairly obviously related to Saint Nicholas. Although I'm sure the pagan Dutch had a midwinter god who got folded into the St Nick tradition, since everyone else did.
The Germanic god (or sometimes goddess — the figure seems to waver back and forth between the two) delivering gifts in mid-winter is discussed in Jacob Grimm's Deutsche Mythologie. Strictly speaking, he was not himself a winter god, but the spring god manifesting himself around the solstice, as a sign that spring was returning. His usual name was something like Bercht or Precht or Berchtha or Berchthold (all meaning, "the Bright One"), sometimes taken as the equivalent of the god Freyr/Fro/Ing. When the role of the shining god was taken over by St. Nicholas, Precht got down-graded to the saint's dark companion who inflicted punishments on naughty children, Rupprecht or the Krampus. The conception of the shining goddess was sometimes bundled together with the idea of the Christ Child delivering gifts, so that in some communities Kristkindl (Kris Kringle?) came in the form of a young woman wearing a white wedding dress.
Edited by Tannhaeuser
The only Gods I know Santa being based on are the Roman titan Saturn and the Norse god Odin. Which makes Santa Roman AND Scandinavian! Though in my lore, he's a Human Alien.
My Easter Bunny idea fits under Whale Egg, since they lay eggs like in the original legend (Osterhase), A Kind of One, since I've imagined Easter Bunnies as an entire species, Binomium ridiculus, has the scientific name "Osterhasus eastertidecus". And possibly Punny Name, since I'm considering naming my main one "Ester Bunny". And of course Bunnies for Cuteness because, come on, who doesn't love bunnies?
Edited by MrStranger616
About santa claus stemming from the dutch cristian tradition that isn't really true. Sinterklaas (who sant claus was derived from) was acctually a winter god. We all just pretended he was a saint to fool the cristian missionairies.
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