Nobody needs reminding when Father Christmas comes. Christmas Eve would not be the same without his secret visit. And Christmas morning would not be Christmas if he had not left presents. That is how we see Christmas today, though it has not always been the same. In fact, Father Christmas has only been coming on Christmas Eve for about 150 years. Before then, he came about three weeks earlier. But that was when he was really Saint Nicholas.
Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of children especially German children. His feast day is on 6 December, and traditionally someone used to dress up as a bishop on the previous day and go round giving small presents to ‘good children’. Over the centuries Saint Nicholas became known as Santa Claus in German-speaking countries. That is how he came to England at around 1840. By that time he was leaving presents in stockings late on Christmas Eve. So Santa Claus acquired a second name – Father Christmas.
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