If there is one single (non-religious) figure that represents Christmas, it's Santa Claus. He's like that generous old grandfather we all read about in stories as children. He's a personification of the goodness and generosity we sometimes find lacking in our world. He's something we need to believe in as much as any religious figure.
Santa's history, of course, goes back much much farther than Saint Nicholas. One of his more recent predecesors would be Odin. Odin was called the All-father and rode the skies of Germany and Scandinavia on a white horse followed by elves and spirits.
I wanted to really talk about Santa's origins, but I'm afraid the task became somewhat daunting after reading a truly interesting book:
Tony van Renterghem: When Santa was a Shaman
An in-depth study of Santa's origins.
Christmas on the Net has a wonderful article called "The Many Faces of Santa". See how our major winter holiday is personified in other cultures!
And for some wonderful fiction, take a look at
The Life Story Of Santa Claus: a simple story to convince anyone that there is a reason for all the traditions that we have at Christmas.
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