Head-guide, Margret is back this week, giving us the background on another one of our Christmas traditions - ‘Jolly Old Saint Nick…’

From earliest times, the fixation on midwinter partying has its origins in the winter solstice - the shortest day of the year, when it is dark early and the weather colder.  Once harvest was over, agricultural societies had time on their hands and needed cheering up to relieve the gloom and prevent depression. Father Christmas was part of Viking celebrations; they referred to their god Woden/Odin (pictured) as Yule-Father. They believed he came down to Earth at Yuletide (a pagan feast lasting 12 days), leaving presents and spreading good cheer.

The 4th century Saint Nicholas - Christian Bishop of Myra (now in modern Turkey) who later morphed into Santa Claus and Father Christmas - was absorbed into the Roman Catholic tradition. Patron saint of sailors, pawnbrokers and children, his feast day, December 6, is still the main day in much of Europe for celebrating and giving presents. St Nicholas supposedly travelled on a white horse to distribute his gifts, and Dutch children still leave hay and carrots in their shoes for his horse, hoping that St Nicholas will exchange them for presents.

In England, until the mid-16th century, Father Christmas was known as Old Christmas or Old Man Winter, a favourite comic character in mediaeval plays. Reminiscent of the pagan Green Man, he wore a green (not red) outfit, a wig and a mask, and stamped about brandishing a club. In Tudor times, royal and noble households appointed a Lord of Misrule to organise the celebration of 12 days of merrymaking and feasting from Christmas Day to January 5th. For Christmas dinner, the Tudor court was very fond of a starter of plum porridge followed by rich meats and poultry - swan and peacock, often served in their plumage, though no turkey until the discovery of the New World.  Christmas pies were made of shredded meat, suet, sugar and spices with a pastry baby Jesus on top. The Christmas feast was accompanied by ale and beer – and sometimes even a glass of mulled wine before bed; for the majority, however, celebrations were considerably lower key.

In the 1840s Prince Albert introduced the German custom of bringing a fir tree into the house and then - riskily - decorating it with candles; for centuries, however, people had brought indoors greenery to adorn their homes, and a large Yule log to provide plenty of light. In the 21st century, lights and candles abound. The image of Santa Claus (Saint Nicholas) as a merry white-bearded old gentleman - delivering presents from a sleigh pulled by reindeer – appeared in a 1931 Coca-Cola advert inspired by the 19th century poem ‘ ‘Twas the night before Christmas’ by C.C. Moore, and has since proved very popular - and lucrative.

In all the razzle-dazzle, it is easy to lose sight of the Christ Child to whom the Wise Men brought gifts. Christmas celebrations alter over time, but there is something very deep in these festivities that most respond to - perhaps best summed up as Christmas Cheer!