Rob Knotts gave us an impressive?history of the Christmas “tradition”. ? ?The UK only contributed the Yule log and the boozy party and a memory of the Norse god Odin who flew and delivered presents to the deserving. ? Turkey gave us St Nicholas, and Holland gave us Santa Claus who sailed in from Spain with a helper, a moor . ? ? ?Finland has a gift giver on a sledge, and Sweden/Norway elves who like rice pudding and cause trouble if they don’t get some. ? ?From France we get?Pere Noel and from Russia Father Frost. ? The USA?gathered all these traditions together and with the help of a Coca Cola advert in 1931 gave us the Father Christmas we know in a red cloak.
