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 1939, May wrote a Christmas-themed story-poem to help bring holiday traffic into his store. Using a similar rhyme pattern to Moore’s “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” May told the story of Rudolph, a young reindeer who was teased by the other deer because of his large, glowing, red nose. But, When Christmas Eve turned foggy and Santa worried that he wouldn’t be able to deliver gifts that night, the former outcast saved Christmas by leading the sleigh by the light of his red nose. Rudolph’s message—that given the opportunity, a liability can be turned into an asset—proved popular. In the early days of Christmas celebrations, Father Christmas wasn’t very child-friendly, he was often shown as a mischievous merrymaker who presided over raucous festive celebrations. The book called “The Untold Story of Father Christmas” has been written by the husband and wife team who created the Lapland UK experience in the Crown Estate Forest near Ascot in Surrey in 2007. Here’s another great YouTube video this time from Mythology with Mike, that tries to unravel the link between St Nicholas, Sinterklaas and Santa. There is even a reference to Odin who some say is the real source of the Santa tradition. Today, Santa Claus remains the dominant symbol of Christmas all around the world, thanks to his origins as a character created by New Yorkers and his subsequent rise to popularity worldwide.

Buy The Untold Story of Father Christmas here

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? An article in Rivington’s Gazetteer in 1773, reported that the anniversary of St Nicholas – also known as ‘St a Claus’ – was being celebrated. This is a great video from The Postal Museum which explains how the tradition of writing to Santa – and expecting a reply – came about.

Father Christmas, in The Untold Story of Father Christmas, is actually just a toy maker who is very good at his job. He creates loads of toys to sell in villages, for all of the children who’s parents can afford them. He has a lovely wife called Mary who helps him create his toys, however, they both are saddened when they are unable to have a child of their own. This sadness is doubled during the winter months, when the children of their village who are unable to afford new toys are not gifted with any for Christmas. oooOooo The Untold Story of Father Christmas How a toymaker became a father to children around the world? 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. Since its launch over 100 thousand families have stepped through the magical doorway at Lapland UK. They help the elves prepare for Christmas Eve, and meet Eeko, Whittle and Pixie Mixie as well as Mother and Father Christmas themselves.Then in 1821, a poem called ‘Old Santeclaus with Much Delight’ was published that described Santa wearing a red coat, a riding a sleigh pulled by reindeer. By now, the traditional day for the delivery of presents had moved from St Nicholas’ Day to Christmas Eve. The earliest example of such a letter was in 1896, and a few years later the Post Office was dealing with thousands of letters. 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 Christmas became more focused on family and children during the Victorian era, a new kind of Father Christmas emerged. This version was less about drinking, feasting, and making merriment and more about giving gifts to children.

However, the Victorians of the ruling classes needed an alternative figure to Father Christmas, who was infamous for his love of parties. They sought a jolly and generous character dedicated to children and Santa Claus emerged as the perfect fit. Often when a book is released in association with an existing attraction, the results can be a little disappointing. But not so for “The Untold Story of Father Christmas” which had my children absolutely spell-bound. 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.

The family behind the wonderful Christmas attraction Lapland UK have weaved their magic once again in a new book for children. And it feels somehow as timeless as its subject. While St Nicholas, the man who is the source of the legend was born in the third century, the medieval period saw the origins of a Father Christmas character, when he was known as the Lord of Misrule and someone acting in his name would be appointed to oversee the festivities of the Christmas season and engage in revelry and merry making.