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He then enjoyed another mini renaissance in the first half of the 19th century, when he appeared in some popular illustrations which showed him to be a winter sprite wearing a holly garland on his head and gorging on lots of drink and food. Moore’s poem, which he was initially hesitant to publish due to the frivolous nature of its subject, is largely responsible for our modern image of Santa Claus as a “right jolly old elf” with a portly figure and the supernatural ability to ascend a chimney with a mere nod of his head! Although some of Moore’s imagery was probably borrowed from other sources, his poem helped popularize the now-familiar image of a Santa Claus who flew from house to house on Christmas Eve in “a miniature sleigh” led by eight flying reindeer to leave presents for deserving children. “An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas” created a new and immediately popular American icon.
Starting in the Middle Ages as Sir Christmas, he is the spirit and personification of Christmas. He is part of the separate folk tradition of Yule.
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Santa had been ‘invented’ by New Yorkers who had in turn been inspired by their Dutch neighbours. He was then embraced by Victorians searching for a family-friendly tradition to share at Christmas. Two years afterwards, Clement Clark Moore embellished the legend further in his poem ‘The Night Before Christmas’. This version of Santa was very different to the others, and he was now a ‘right jolly old elf’ with old clothes damaged by soot and ashes. He also had dimples, twinkling eyes, and a white beard.
As Europe evolved and spread its traditions, Sinterklaas eventually inspired the development of Father Christmas in England. While the two icons share similarities – such as delivering gifts to children – it’s clear that Father Christmas is far less frightening than his predecessor. The era saw the birth of a family-friendly Christmas season and the reinterpretation of previous traditions. Today, Father Christmas is synonymous with Christmas cheer, gift-giving and spreading joy to all. He’s become an integral part of our festive traditions and has evolved alongside the changing times. oooOooo Letters to Father Christmas Why did children in Britain start receiving replies from Santa? 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.In 1658, in a story called ‘The Examination and Tryall of Old Father Christmas’, our festive friend was shown as having a fur-trimmed, old-fashioned gown and a white beard. In the story, he is put on trial for his life but was – thankfully for us! – acquitted by the jury. The origins of Father Christmas start with the legend of Saint Nicholas in the third century who was known for his generosity and kindness. He was a Greek, living in the Roman Empire and his birthplace, Patara, is now part of Turkey.
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