The Untold Story of Father Christmas

Product Information

Later, in Tudor and Stuart times, the ‘Lord of Misrule’ oversaw Christmas festivities in aristocratic homes. Other names included ‘Prince Christmas’, ‘The Christmas Lord’ and ‘Captain Christmas’. In none of these depictions was he an old man with a white beard. A legal obligation to deliver letters, even to Toyland and Lapland, meant a solution had to be found. You see, Elves are only able to prosper if people, especially children, believe in wishes and magic, allowing the Northern Lights to fill with magic and the Elves to be able to soak it in. As children have been believing less, they feel these humans have started helping them, giving them wishes and hope. The Elves then decide to help Father Christmas and his wife so that he can get all of the toys done in time, by building them a toy makers area in Lapland and inviting him there.

Through the Victorians’ reinvention of Christmas, Father Christmas has maintained his place as a popular figure, albeit one that is now interchangeable with Santa Claus. In the 16th century, Father Christmas began appearing in England as a personification of the festive season. He was depicted as a jolly, rotund figure dressed in green robes trimmed with fur. He wasn’t yet associated with gift-giving but was instead seen as a symbol of good cheer and revelry. How old is Father Christmas? You might like to know what the last posting day is for children in the UK who want to write to Father Christmas. The Royal Mail can help! For example, one child would be ‘Carol’ and another would be ‘Mince Pie’. Father Christmas didn’t bring gifts but his one son was called ‘New Yeares Gift’ and brought with him an ‘Orange, a sprig of Rosemarie’ and a ‘coller of gingerbread’ and a ‘bottle of wine on either arme’. The first known depiction of Father Christmas as a gift-giver was in a 17th-century with an image that bears a striking resemblance to the modern-day version of Father Christmas.From jolly old man to winter sprite, Father Christmas has taken many forms over the centuries. But how did this allegorical figure become the iconic symbol of the festivities we know and love today? Who is Father Christmas?

Rudolph, “the most famous reindeer of all,” was born over 100 years after his eight flying counterparts. The red-nosed wonder was the creation of Robert L. May, a copywriter at the Montgomery Ward department store.Contrary to popular belief, Santa Claus did not always exist in English folklore. It took some time for him to become the beloved character he is today.

In it, Father Christmas reads a story for children about how he came into being – and how he is such an iconic figure today. As Santa’s legend continued to spread, the imagination of generations of artists and writers added to the story. Fast forward to 1809, when Washington Irving wrote that Dutch families in New York were still telling tales of Sinterklaas on St Nicholas’s Day.In the 15th century a personality that can be likened to Father Christmas first appeared in a carol. The song tells of ‘Sir Christëmas’ sharing the news of the birth of Christ and urging everyone to “ Make good cheer and be merry“. Before England had its beloved Father Christmas, Europe had Sinterklaas – a figure with a dark past, a legend that would eventually inspire the festive icon we know today. But hold your reindeer, did you know that the beloved man in red wasn’t always the jolly old elf we know and love today? In York, another possible precursor to Father Christmas was celebrated in a festival called the ‘Yule Ridings.’ It took place on December 21st and featured a man disguised as Yule – usually a man-sized goat – carrying meat and cake through the streets and throwing nuts into the crowd. However, in 1572, the event was banned due to complaints of ‘very rude and barbarous’ behaviour.