Countries: UK, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and many others - "Father Christmas"
Along with Sinterklaas, Father Christmas stands as the biggest influence in the creation of the more modern American Santa, and he is still the primary Christmas gift-giver in the holiday legends of several different countries. In his modern incarnation, Father Christmas is often indistinguishable from Santa Claus, but their origin stories are actually quite a bit different. Early versions of the character from the 1600s depict him as a merry old man clad in a green robe. At the time, he wasn't seen as a gift-giver, but rather as the spirit of good tidings and the joy of the Christmas season. This incarnation was made famous by Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol, who used the popular conception of Father Christmas as the model for his Ghost of Christmas Present character. With time, though, Father Christmas merged with Santa Claus and Sinterklaas into his more modern role as a bringer of gifts to children.
Gift-Giving Style:
The modern version of Father Christmas
differs very little from Santa Claus in
his gift-giving methods. Like Santa,
he rides a sleigh pulled by a team
of reindeer, and climbs down
the chimney to leave behind
gifts for nice children. Families often
leave behind snacks for him and
his reindeer, though these differ
according to the country. His location and appearance differ as well. Some versions of the legend state that he wears a green suit instead of the more prevalent red, and he doesn't always live in the North Pole. Some countries cite Greenland as the traditional home of Father Christmas, while others use the Lapland Province of Finland.
Written by Magdalena KozieĊ