In America, Santa Claus is portrayed as a jolly fat man with a cadre of elves serving as helpers. In Holland, they have Sinterklaas, a stern and tall bishop. Accompanied by his slaves 17th century Moorish Pages, usually portrayed by white men in blackface, Sinterklaas is known to beat and kidnap bad children and distribute oranges to the good ones.
more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinterklaas