A sequel to the Kate Greenaway Award winning Father Christmas, which I have yet to read. I think the key to the success of Father Christmas the innovative behind-the-scenes look at what is a pretty ordinary man. Father Christmas or Old Christmas, represented as a jolly-faced bearded man often surrounded by plentiful food and drink, started to appear regularly in illustrated magazines of the 1840s. [1] He was dressed in a variety of costumes and usually had holly on his head, [1] as in these illustrations from the Illustrated London News:

Tolkien, JRR (1976). The Father Christmas Letters. London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd. ISBN 0-04-823130-4. This sort of character was to feature repeatedly over the next 250 years in pictures, stage plays and folk dramas. Initially known as 'Sir Christmas' or 'Lord Christmas', he later became increasingly referred to as 'Father Christmas'. [9] Puritan revolution—enter 'Father Christmas' [ edit ] Macintyre, Jean (1992). Costumes and Scripts in Elizabethan Theatres. University of Alberta Press. p. 177. ISBN 9780888642264. Armstrong, Neil R (2004). The Intimacy of Christmas: Festive Celebration in England c. 1750-1914 (PDF). University of York (unpublished). p.263. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 February 2016 . Retrieved 28 January 2016.Join Father Christmas on his busiest night of the year in this 50th anniversary edition of the hilariously irreverent Christmas classic! Sandys, William (1852). Christmastide, its History, Festivities and Carols. London: John Russell Smith. pp. 152. a b Simpson, Jacqueline; Roud, Steve (2000). A Dictionary of English Folklore. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 402. ISBN 0-19-969104-5. Christmas Rhymes: Santa Claus and the Children". The Preston Guardian. Preston. 22 December 1877. p.3 . Retrieved 16 February 2016.

The film was dedicated to the late animator John McGuire. It was later released as part of a DVD bundle alongside The Snowman, before being released separately in subsequent home media releases. Old Christmass Returnd, a ballad collected by Samuel Pepys, celebrated the revival of festivities in the latter part of the century: "Old Christmass is come for to keep open house / He scorns to be guilty of starving a mouse, / Then come boyes and welcome, for dyet the chief / Plumb pudding, Goose, Capon, minc't pies & Roast beef". [26] 18th century—a low profile [ edit ] From the 1870s onwards, Christmas shopping had begun to evolve as a separate seasonal activity, and by the late 19th century it had become an important part of the English Christmas. [73] The purchasing of toys, especially from the new department stores, became strongly associated with the season. [74] The first retail Christmas Grotto was set up in JR Robert's store in Stratford, London in December 1888, [73] and shopping arenas for children—often called 'Christmas Bazaars'—spread rapidly during the 1890s and 1900s, helping to assimilate Father Christmas/Santa Claus into society. [73] Giving Christmas his Due". 23 December 2011. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016 . Retrieved 15 January 2016. a b c "Father Christmas". Oxford English Dictionary (Onlineed.). Oxford University Press. March 2016 . Retrieved 25 November 2020. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)

Sometimes the two characters continued to be presented as separate, as in a procession at the Olympia Exhibition of 1888 in which both Father Christmas and Santa Claus took part, with Little Red Riding Hood and other children's characters in between. [75] At other times the characters were conflated: in 1885 Mr Williamson's London Bazaar in Sunderland was reported to be a "Temple of juvenile delectation and delight. In the well-lighted window is a representation of Father Christmas, with the printed intimation that 'Santa Claus is arranging within.'" [76] Domestic Theatricals 1881 Liverpool Mercury". Notices for Emigrants for 1851. Michell's American Passenger Office. For New York. "Eagle Line". Liverpool. 25 April 1851. p.4 . Retrieved 31 January 2016. Scott's phrase Merry England has been adopted by historians to describe the romantic notion that there was a Golden Age of the English past, allegedly since lost, that was characterised by universal hospitality and charity. The notion had a profound influence on the way that popular customs were seen, and most of the 19th century writers who bemoaned the state of contemporary Christmases were, at least to some extent, yearning for the mythical Merry England version. [40] A Merry England vision of Old Christmas 1836 The Children's friend. Number III.: A New-Year's present, to the little ones from five to twelve. Part III. New York: Gilley, William B. 1821. Archived from the original on 6 February 2016 . Retrieved 28 January 2016. For poor Father Christmas, December 24th is the hardest night of work in the year. Raymond Briggs follows him on his wonderfully grumpy and funny journey, revealing some beautifully illustrated moments of joy.

a b Duffy, Eamon (1992). The Stripping of the Altars. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. pp. 14. ISBN 0-300-06076-9. Raymond Briggs' classic comic book has all of his trademark humour and an endearingly grumpy Father Christmas. Young children will love the entertaining illustrations and the comic book-like bubbles lend themselves well for early reading. Hugely enjoyable. Father Christmas has awoken from a dream of summer sun to discover it is December 24th, Christmas Eve - the start of his longest night's work of the year! Much merriment ensues as Father Christmas travels the world, with a few issues along the way, to bring joy to children everywhere.Dent, Susie (forward) (2012). Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (19th edn). London: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. p.483. ISBN 978-0550107640. Austin, Charlotte (2006). The Celebration of Christmastide in England from the Civil Wars to its Victorian Transformation. Leeds: University of Leeds (BA dissertation). p.34. Archived from the original on 29 January 2016 . Retrieved 14 January 2016. King, Josiah (1678). The Examination and Tryal of Old Father Christmas, together with his clearing by the Jury, at the Assizes held at the town of Difference, in the county of Discontent. London: H Brome, T Basset and J Wright. Archived from the original on 22 January 2013 . Retrieved 22 December 2012. The online transcript is from a later reprinting of 1686.