"of him also starts to show as he sings carols in the shower and calls his Christmas dinner ""Lovely grub!"" Exhausted after his travels, he retires to bed, though not before giving his cat and dog their own presents and wishing the reader ""Happy Blooming Christmas!"" Coward, McCann & Geoghan published the US edition of ""Father Christmas"" in October (). ""Kirkus Reviews"" gave the book a starred review, signifying remarkable merit. In part, ""Briggs projects Santa's day in comic strip sequence and balloon monologue, from his waking from a dream of sun ... You don't have to be British to"
"come like Father Christmas, / Robed in green and beard all white? / Will he come amid the darkness? / Will he come at all tonight?"" The French writer Max O'Rell, who evidently thought the custom was established in the England of 1883, explained that Father Christmas """"descend par la cheminée, pour remplir de bonbons et de joux les bas que les enfants ont suspendus au pied du lit."""" [comes down the chimney, to fill with sweets and games the stockings that the children have hung from the foot of the bed]. And in her poem ""Agnes: A Fairy Tale"""
"the world record, but failed with only 3,939 Santas. The tradition of Santa Claus entering dwellings through the chimney is shared by many European seasonal gift-givers. In pre-Christian Norse tradition, Odin would often enter through chimneys and fire holes on the solstice. In the Italian Befana tradition, the gift-giving witch is perpetually covered with soot from her trips down the chimneys of children's homes. In the tale of Saint Nicholas, the saint tossed coins through a window, and, in a later version of the tale, down a chimney when he finds the window locked. In Dutch artist Jan Steen's painting,"
"Père Noël Père Noël (), ""Father Christmas"", sometimes called Papa Noël (""Daddy Christmas""), is a legendary gift-bringer at Christmas in France and other French-speaking areas, identified with the Father Christmas and/or Santa Claus of English-speaking territories. Though they were traditionally different, all of them are now the same character, with different names, and the shared characteristics of a red outfit, workshop at the North Pole, and team of reindeer. According to tradition, on Christmas Eve children leave their shoes by the fireplace filled with carrots and treats for Père Noël's donkey, Gui (French for ""Mistletoe"") before they go to bed."
"New York was alive and well from the early settlement of the Hudson Valley on. Current tradition in several Latin American countries (such as Venezuela and Colombia) holds that while Santa makes the toys, he then gives them to the Baby Jesus, who is the one who actually delivers them to the children's homes, a reconciliation between traditional religious beliefs and the iconography of Santa Claus imported from the United States. In South Tyrol (Italy), Austria, Czech Republic, Southern Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Slovakia, and Switzerland, the Christkind (Ježíšek in Czech, Jézuska in Hungarian and Ježiško in Slovak) brings the presents."
"to this emblem and regard the representation of Zwarte Piet as racist. Others state that the black skin color of Zwarte Piet originates in his profession as a chimney sweep, hence the delivery of packages through the chimney. In recent years, Christmas, along with Santa Claus, has been pushed by shopkeepers as another gift-giving festival, with some success; although, especially for young children, Saint Nicholas Eve is still much more important than Christmas. The rise of Father Christmas (known in Dutch as ""de Kerstman"") is often cited as an example of globalization and Americanisation. On the Frisian islands (""Waddeneilanden""), the"
"Canada, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, this occurs mostly on the morning of Christmas Day. In other Latin American countries, people stay awake until midnight, when they open the presents. In Spain, gifts are traditionally opened on the morning of 6 January, Epiphany day (""Día de Los Tres Reyes Magos""), though in some other countries, like Argentina and Uruguay, people receive presents both around Christmas and on the morning of Epiphany day. In Belgium and the Netherlands Saint Nicholas or Sinterklaas and his companion Zwarte Piet deliver presents to children and adults alike on the evening of 5 December,"
"the veneration of saints. Martin Luther first suggested the Christkind as the bringer of gifts. But Nicholas remained popular as gifts bearer for the people. Father Christmas dates back as far as 16th century in England during the reign of Henry VIII, when he was pictured as a large man in green or scarlet robes lined with fur. He typified the spirit of good cheer at Christmas, bringing peace, joy, good food and wine and revelry. As England no longer kept the feast day of Saint Nicholas on 6 December, the Father Christmas celebration was moved to the 25th of"
"were left for children by unseen hands overnight on Christmas Eve, but the receptacle was a matter of debate, as was the nature of the visitor. Dutch tradition had St Nicholas leaving presents in shoes laid out on 6 December, while in France shoes were filled by Père Noël. The older shoe custom and the newer American stocking custom trickled only slowly into Britain, with writers and illustrators remaining uncertain for many years. Although the stocking eventually triumphed, the shoe custom had still not been forgotten by 1901 when an illustration entitled ""Did you see Santa Claus, Mother?"" was accompanied"
"encourage imagination, and it’s equivalent to bribing your kids for good behavior.” Notes Bibliography Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts to the homes of well-behaved (""good"" or ""nice"") children on Christmas Eve (24 December) and the early morning hours of Christmas Day (25 December). The modern Santa Claus grew out of traditions surrounding the historical Saint Nicholas (a fourth-century Greek bishop and gift-giver of Myra), the British figure of Father Christmas and the Dutch figure"
"mentioned in Samuel Pepys' diary entry for 19 December 1663. This custom is linked to an older British tradition: since they would have to wait on their masters on Christmas Day, the servants of the wealthy were allowed the next day to visit their families. The employers would give each servant a box to take home containing gifts, bonuses, and sometimes leftover food. In South Africa (a former British commonwealth realm) as recently as the 1980s, milkmen and garbage collectors, who normally had little if any interaction with those they served, were accustomed to knock on their doors asking for"
"nor with the giving of presents, nocturnal visits, stockings or chimneys. But as later Victorian Christmases developed into child-centric family festivals, Father Christmas became a bringer of gifts. The popular American myth of Santa Claus arrived in England in the 1850s and Father Christmas started to take on Santa's attributes. By the 1880s the new customs had become established, with the nocturnal visitor sometimes being known as Santa Claus and sometimes as Father Christmas. He was often illustrated wearing a long red hooded gown trimmed with white fur. Any residual distinctions between Father Christmas and Santa Claus largely faded away"
"""The Feast of Saint Nicholas"", adults and toddlers are glancing up a chimney with amazement on their faces while other children play with their toys. The hearth was held sacred in primitive belief as a source of beneficence, and popular belief had elves and fairies bringing gifts to the house through this portal. Santa's entrance into homes on Christmas Eve via the chimney was made part of American tradition through the poem """"A Visit from St. Nicholas"""" where the author described him as an elf. In the United States and Canada, children traditionally leave Santa a glass of milk and"
"Norway ""Julenissen"" and Sweden ""Jultomten"", personally meets children and gives presents in the evening of Christmas Eve. In Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Denmark, Estonia, the Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Quebec, Romania, Uruguay, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and the Czech Republic, Christmas presents are opened mostly on the evening of the 24th – following German tradition, this is also the practice among the British Royal Family since it was introduced by Queen Victoria and Albert, Prince Consort – while in Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, English"
"in the 19th century when Father Francisco Vigil de Quiñones, the priest of the Grand Cathedral of Remedios, in order to get the people to come to midnight masses the week before Christmas had the idea to put together groups of children and provide them with jars, plates and spoons so they could run around the village making noise and singing verses. The idea persisted over the years and with time it gained complexity ending in the street party that has remained till these days. In Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador, families and friends get together from 16 to 24 December"
"Father Christmas Father Christmas is the traditional English name for the personification of Christmas. Although now known as a Christmas gift-bringer, and normally considered to be synonymous with American culture's Santa Claus which is now known worldwide, he was originally part of an unrelated and much older English folkloric tradition. The recognisably modern figure of the English Father Christmas developed in the late Victorian period, but Christmas had been personified for centuries before then. English personifications of Christmas were first recorded in the 15th century, with Father Christmas himself first appearing in the mid 17th century in the aftermath of"
"chimney, taking with him his bag of presents and a little hand sled for one of the children. He goes down the chimney and suddenly appears in the children's room through the fireplace. He distributes the presents and mysteriously causes the appearance of a Christmas tree laden with gifts. The scene closes with the children waking up and running to the fireplace just too late to catch him by the legs. A 1909 film by D. W. Griffith titled ""A Trap for Santa Claus"" shows children setting a trap to capture Santa Claus as he descends the chimney, but instead"
"church service. Popular activities also include walking in a park or the countryside and sharing a meal with family and close friends. Père Noël (), ""Father Christmas"", sometimes called Papa Noël (""Daddy Christmas""), is a legendary gift-bringer at Christmas in France and other French-speaking areas, identified with the Father Christmas or Santa Claus of English-speaking territories. According to tradition, on Christmas Eve children leave their shoes by the fireplace filled with carrots and treats for Père Noël's donkey, Gui (French for ""Mistletoe"") before they go to bed. Père Noël takes the offerings and, if the child has been good, leaves"
"wine and a carrot for Saint Nicholas's horse or donkey. According to tradition, St. Nicholas comes at night and travels down the chimney. He then takes the food and water or wine, leaves presents, goes back up, feeds his horse or donkey, and continues on his course. He also knows whether children have been good or bad. This holiday is especially loved by children in Belgium and the Netherlands. Dutch immigrants imported the tradition into the United States, where Saint Nicholas is now known as Santa Claus. Culture of Belgium Belgian culture involves both the aspects shared by all Belgians"
"comes and gives gifts for everyone. In Slovenia, Saint Nicholas (Miklavž) also brings small gifts for good children on the eve of 6 December. Božiček (Christmas Man) brings gifts on the eve of 25 December, and Dedek Mraz (Grandfather Frost) brings gifts in the evening of 31 December to be opened on New Years Day. New Zealander, British, Australian, Irish, Canadian, and American children also leave a carrot for Santa's reindeer, and are told that if they are not good all year round that they will receive a lump of coal in their stockings, although the actual practice of giving"
"Claus would give gifts to children. Grottos can be large walk-through fantasy cavern-like areas incorporating animatronic characters such as elves and pantomime characters. This tradition started in Britain in 1879 and then extended in the 1890s to Australian and American department stores seeking to attract customers. The world's first Christmas grotto was in Lewis's Bon Marche Department Store in Liverpool, England. The grotto was opened in 1879, entitled ""Christmas Fairyland"". A staple of Liverpool's festive season, many generations first visited Father Christmas here, with the final displays covering over . The Grotto has now moved to Rapid Hardware’s store in"
"Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts to the homes of well-behaved (""good"" or ""nice"") children on Christmas Eve (24 December) and the early morning hours of Christmas Day (25 December). The modern Santa Claus grew out of traditions surrounding the historical Saint Nicholas (a fourth-century Greek bishop and gift-giver of Myra), the British figure of Father Christmas and the Dutch figure of ""Sinterklaas"" (himself also based on Saint Nicholas). Some maintain Santa Claus also absorbed"
"of this association is that Saint Nicholas was noted for his generous gifts to the poor, in particular presenting the three impoverished daughters of a pious Christian with dowries so that they would not have to become prostitutes. There are numerous traditions of Christmas gift-bringers in European folklore. They can be loosely classified in variations of an ""Old Man"" (Old Man Winter, Father Christmas), and a ""child"" or ""girl"" tradition. The ""Old Man"" is frequently syncretised with the hagiographical traditions of Saint Nicholas and Saint Basil. In some countries, these traditions co-exist. In Italy, there is Babbo Natale (""Father Christmas"")"
"Christ. This tradition quickly became common in predominantly Catholic regions as well. Gifts may be brought by the ""Weihnachtsmann"" (translation, ""Christmas man""), who resembles either St. Nicholas or the American Santa Claus, or by ""Christkindl"", a sprite-like child who may or may not represent the baby Jesus. Till 1930, there was sort of south north divide between the realms of southern and silesian Christkind and Nordic Weihnachtsmann. After the gifts are opened the children often stay up as late as they like, often till the early hours of the morning. The Christmas Tree is first put up and decorated on"
"guests (alluding to Mary and Joseph looking for shelter in Bethlehem). During the Reformation in 16th- and 17th-century Europe, many Protestants changed the gift bringer to the Christ Child or ""Christkindl"", and the date of giving gifts changed from 6 December to Christmas Eve. It is the night when Santa Claus makes his rounds delivering gifts to good children. Many trace the custom of giving gifts to the Magi who brought gifts for the Christ child in the manger. In the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia and Hungary, where Saint Nicholas (sv. Mikuláš/szent Mikulás) gives his sweet gifts on 6 December,"
"a ""Temple of juvenile delectation and delight. In the well-lighted window is a representation of Father Christmas, with the printed intimation that 'Santa Claus is arranging within.'"" Even after the appearance of the store grotto, it was still not firmly established who should hand out gifts at parties. A writer in the ""Illustrated London News"" of December 1888 suggested that a Sibyl should dispense gifts from a 'snow cave', but a little over a year later she had changed her recommendation to a gypsy in a 'magic cave'. Alternatively, the hostess could ""have Father Christmas arrive, towards the end of"
"custom spread across Europe, mainly to Italy and England and was brought to America by German immigrants in the 1700s. The origins of the Christmas pyramids date back to the Middle Ages. In this period it was traditional in southern and western Europe to bring evergreen branches, for example boxwood, into the home and hang them in order to ward off moroseness in the dark and cold winter months. In northern and eastern Europe traditional candles were used to achieve this goal. The Christmas pyramid would eventually unify these two traditions and become a symbol of Christmas celebrations. The forerunner"
"year. Children who behaved badly may expect to find a twig or a piece of coal under their pillows. In the Netherlands, ""Dutch children put out a clog filled with hay and a carrot for Saint Nicholas' horse. On Saint Nicholas Day, gifts are tagged with personal humorous rhymes written by the sender."" In the United States, one custom associated with Saint Nicholas Day is children leaving their shoes in the foyer on Saint Nicholas Eve in hope that Saint Nicholas will place some coins on the soles. The American Santa Claus, as well as the British Father Christmas, derive"
"upon the location. Since then, the singing Christmas tree concept has spread to Canada, the Philippines, South Korea, Switzerland and Sri Lanka. The most attended tree takes place in Knoxville, Tennessee, with 60,000 attendees in 2007. The first Christmas trees came to the United States in the 1740s from Moravian (now part of the Czech Republic) settlers. In 1851, the first commercial tree lot in the United States was set up in New York City. President of the United States Franklin Pierce set up the first Christmas tree in the White House in 1856. Artificial trees were first developed in"
"the Christmas gift-giver is the Child Jesus (Ježíšek in Czech, Jézuska in Hungarian, Ježiško in Slovak and Isusek in Croatian). In most parts of Austria, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Switzerland, presents are traditionally exchanged on the evening of 24 December. Children are commonly told that presents were brought either by the Christkind (German for Christ child), or by the Weihnachtsmann. Both leave the gifts, but are in most families not seen doing so. In Germany, the gifts are also brought on 6 December by ""the Nikolaus"" with his helper Knecht Ruprecht. In Estonia ""Jõuluvana"", Finland ""Joulupukki"", Denmark ""Julemanden"","
"much to Odin, the old blue-hooded, cloaked, white-bearded Giftbringer of the north, who rode the midwinter sky on his eight-footed steed Sleipnir, visiting his people with gifts. […] Odin, transformed into Father Christmas, then Santa Claus, prospered with St Nicholas and the Christchild, became a leading player on the Christmas stage."" In Finland Santa Claus is called Joulupukki (direct translation 'Christmas Goat'). Pre-modern representations of the gift-giver from Church history and folklore, notably St Nicholas (known in Dutch as Sinterklaas), merged with the English character Father Christmas to create the character known to Americans and the rest of the English-speaking"
"when the inmates of a house in the country retire to bed, all those desirous of a present place a stocking outside the door of their bedroom, with the expectation that some mythical being called Santiclaus will fill the stocking or place something within it before the morning. This is of course well known, and the master of the house does in reality place a Christmas gift secretly in each stocking; but the giggling girls in the morning, when bringing down their presents, affect to say that Santiclaus visited and filled the stockings in the night. From what region of"
"a website against Santa Claus, a relatively recent phenomenon in that country. ""Czech Christmases are intimate and magical. All that Santa stuff seems to me like cheap show business,"" said David König of the Creative Copywriters Club, pointing out that it is primarily an American and British tradition. ""I'm not against Santa himself. I'm against Santa in my country only."" In the Czech tradition, presents are delivered by Ježíšek, which translates as Baby Jesus. In the United Kingdom, Father Christmas was historically depicted wearing a green cloak. As Father Christmas has been increasingly merged into the image of Santa Claus,"