St. Nicholas (St. Klaus) Santa Claus was Greek, long before Byzantium became known as 'Turky".
As Bishop of Myra in the Byzantine Empire he used his family wealth to assist the poor, often anonymously dropping bags of coins down their chimneys. He actually attended the Council of Nicea (the Nicene Creed comes from this) and is famous for his lapse in Christian Charity, when he became so enraged at the blasphemies uttered by the heretic Arius, he punched him out in front of the Emperor Constantine and his fellow Bishops!
According to legend, Constantine confiscated Nicholas' Bible and Pallium-an insgnia worn by Bishops, but that night, Jesus and His mother Mary forgave and restored them to him - to Constantine's surprise. So, in his Icons, borth figures usually appear holding the Pallium & Book.