Popular personification of the spirit of Christmas, derived from the Christian legend of St
Nicholas and elements of Scandinavian mythology. He is depicted as a fat, jolly old man with a long white beard, dressed in boots and a red hat and suit trimmed with white fur. He lives with his toy-making elves at the North Pole, and on Christmas Eve he travels in an airborne sleigh, drawn by eight reindeer, to deliver presents to good children, who are fast asleep when he arrives. The most popular legends claim that Father Christmas lands his sleigh on rooftops, secretly entering homes through the chimney.
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