Christmas Traditions

Christmas is a time of year when peace and goodwill are abundant and there's magic in the air. It's a time that's made all the more magical by the children in our lives and for many parents, christmas is the best part about having kids.

Father Christmas is the best part of christmas for many kids, and it's often a sad time for parents when they stop believing in Father Christmas. They stop waking you up on christmas morning shouting "Santa's been!" and some of the magic is taken away from the season.

Nurture their belief in this old custom by telling them some of the facts surrounding Father Christmas, and where he came from.

Although Father Christmas and Santa are used interchangeably, now, They are have two separate beginnings.

Father Christmas
Father Christmas dates back to the times of the vikings, when people followed a norse belief system, and it was important for their survival that the earth was kind to them.

Some of the earliest interpretations of Father Christmas show him in the guise of the pagan "Green Man" or lord of the wild wood. He was a jovial figure, and very much the spirit of christmas.
The tradition evolved from the custom of an elder man, visiting the houses in a village, taking the spirit of winter. All who let the spirit of winter into the house would be blessed for the rest of the winter and the following spring.

Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folk hero, based on the Bishop Nicholas, from what is now Turkey, who gave presents to the poor.

He is portrayed as a kindly, round bellied gentleman, with spectacles and a white beard.

Christmas Eve
On christmas Eve, Father Christmas, or Santa Claus fills his sleigh with presents for all the girls and boys who have made in onto the "nice" list, this year. His team of reindeer, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, pull the sleigh through the skies, and deliver the toys to every believing child, before they wake up on christmas morning.

For the rest of the year, Father Christmas lives in Lapland with his wife, and elves, who make toys for all the good girls and boys. He, of course, is watching all the little children, on cctv, to make sure they aren't misbehaving too much.