Depictions of Santa have evolved massively over the centuries

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There’s a common refrain in my family ahead of the Christmas festivities saying “we haven’t gone mad this year.” Of course, yes we have. More food than is really necessary (it will get eaten though), probably more gifts than anyone actually asked for and generally a lot of effort made. Ultimately, the effort is part of the fun for me. I feel like I should say much the same about this issue of All About History; we haven’t gone mad this year. But there is a strong festive theme, to be sure. We lead, of course, with our history of Santa, which is a fascinating tale whether you have much invested in Christmas personally or not. The evolution of this universally recognised folk figure is quite remarkable, from saint to miraculous gift-giver. We take a look at the different incarnations of Father Christmas, with some of the most interesting international variants and the related sidekicks and creatures too.