There’s a common refrain in my family ahead of the Christmas festivities saying “we haven’t gone mad this year.” Of course, yes we have.; we haven’t gone mad this year. But there is a strong festive theme, to be sure. We lead, of course, with our history of Santa, which is a fascinating tale whether you have much invested in Christmas personally or not. The evolution of this universally recognised folk figure is quite remarkable, from saint to miraculous gift-giver. We take a look at the different incarnations of Father Christmas, with some of the most interesting international variants and the related sidekicks and creatures too.
