Bede, Cuthbert (6 April 1861). "Modern Mumming". Notes & Queries. 11 (Second series): 271–272. ('Cuthbert Bede' was a pseudonym used by the novelist Edward Bradley).

Hervey, Thomas Kibble (1836). The Book of Christmas: descriptive of the customs, ceremonies, traditions, superstitions, fun, feeling, and festivities of the Christmas Season. pp. 133. Most residual distinctions between Father Christmas and Santa Claus largely faded away in the early years of the 20th century, and modern dictionaries consider the terms Father Christmas and Santa Claus to be synonymous. The first known English personification of Christmas was associated with merry-making, singing and drinking. A carol attributed to Richard Smart, Rector of Plymtree in Devon from 1435 to 1477, has 'Sir Christemas' announcing the news of Christ's birth and encouraging his listeners to drink: " Buvez bien par toute la compagnie, / Make good cheer and be right merry, / And sing with us now joyfully: Nowell, nowell." [3]Wanting to go somewhere warmer, Father Christmas flies to Las Vegas. Instead of continuing to sleep in his flying mobile home, Father Christmas stays at the Nero's Palace hotel. He is delighted that the hotel serves huge portions of French fries and has no shortage of ketchup. He makes use of many of the hotel's amenities, including its swimming pool, its casino and its theater where show girls dance.

a b c d Henisch, Bridget Ann (1984). Cakes and Characters: An English Christmas Tradition. London: Prospect Books. pp.183–184. ISBN 0-907325-21-1.England was merry England, when / Old Christmas brought his sports again. 'Twas Christmas broach'd the mightiest ale; / 'Twas Christmas told the merriest tale; A Christmas gambol oft could cheer / The poor man's heart through half the year." [39] Fox, Berkley (2008). Brett, RL (ed.). Barclay Fox's Journal 1832 - 1854. Cornwall Editions Limited. p.297. ISBN 978-1904880318. Some of the entries were first published under the title Barclay Fox's Journal, edited by RL Brett, Bell and Hyman, London 1979. 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. Nabbes, Thomas (1887). Bullen, AH (ed.). Old English Plays: The Works of Thomas Nabbes, volume the second. London: Wyman & Sons. pp. 228–229.

a b c Connelly, Mark (2012). Christmas: A History. London: I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd. pp.189, 192. ISBN 978-1780763613. In a BBC documentary of 31 December 2018, Raymond Briggs said that Father Christmas was partly based on his father as they were both delivery men. He also said that he received a letter of complaint from an American because of one scene in which Father Christmas is sitting on the toilet. 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.

Select a format:

a b "Father Christmas" (first U.S. edition). Library of Congress Catalog Record. Retrieved 4 December 2012.

In 1991, Raymond Briggs's two books were adapted as an animated short film, Father Christmas, starring Mel Smith as the voice of the title character. Pimlott, JAR (1960). "Christmas under the Puritans". History Today. 10 (12). Archived from the original on 28 January 2013 . Retrieved 23 December 2012. As the US-inspired customs became popular in England, Father Christmas started to take on Santa's attributes. [1] His costume became more standardised, and although depictions often still showed him carrying holly, the holly crown became rarer and was often replaced with a hood. [1] [9] It still remained common, though, for Father Christmas and Santa Claus to be distinguished, and as late as the 1890s there were still examples of the old-style Father Christmas appearing without any of the new American features. [69] Appearances in public [ edit ] Father Christmas is a British children's picture book written and drawn by Raymond Briggs and published by Hamish Hamilton in 1973. Briggs won the annual Kate Greenaway Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's best children's book illustration by a British subject. [2] For the 50th anniversary of the Medal (1955–2005), a panel named it one of the top ten winning works, which composed the ballot for a public election of the nation's favourite. [3] Overview [ 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]

When a child recognizes him as Santa Claus, he decides that it is time to move on once more. After receiving his enormous hotel bill, Father Christmas is left without the means to travel to any further destinations and has to head home. The story focuses on a stereotypical vision of Father Christmas with a down-to-earth twist, living in contemporary Britain with his pets and reindeer, coping with everyday domestic chores, who recounts to the viewers about a holiday he took before preparing for another Christmas. [1]