When does our Christmas begin?

In rural Yorkshire, probably within living memory, some country people reckoned that preparation for the Christmas festivities started today. Not only is December 21 the winter solstice, giving us the longest night and shortest day, it is also the feast day of St Thomas. Young boys within the North Yorks Moors would go A-Thomassing, which meant visiting houses in outlying districts to ask for St Thomas Day gifts. This was often a slice of ginger cake with cheese or a piece of pepper cake, but it might include sweets, fruit or even small amounts of cash.

In some areas of the dales, poor women toured the mills to beg portions of wheat which would be ground for them free of charge so they could make their own Christmas cakes. As a form of thanks, the women would give the mill-owners a sprig of holly and this practice was known as A-Gooding.

Other forms of charity were practised today - one example is the Mayor's audit money which is distributed to the poor at Richmond, along with tea and biscuits while in some areas there were auctions of candies in preparation for the depth of winter.

In some areas, a candle auction was the name given to the sale of goods by auction, the bids being made as the candle burned lower and lower. I believe the final and acceptable bid was the one made immediately before the flame died away.

Even in these materialistic times, the magic of Father Christmas continues to enthral children and adults alike. Parents manage to persuade their youngsters that Santa Claus really does fly around the night sky on a sleigh drawn by reindeer. The inexplicable act of descending the chimney with a bag full of presents - and not a sooty footprint in sight - continues to be one of the great mysteries of childhood. I've heard modern youngsters, in homes without fireplaces, question their parents about the method by which Santa would be sure to visit them in the dead of night, and always the parents produce an answer which is confirmed by reminding the children of Santa's wonderful skill with magic, They are assured of his arrival even if all the doors are closed and the house has no chimney. And so the myth continues in spite of sad efforts to prevent it.

But if the story, so full of magic and mystery, is very wide-spread and popular, how did it begin? Like all good legends, there are elements of truth in the tale even if that truth has been distorted more than just a little during the passage of centuries. And we need to look far beyond the shores of Britain because Father Christmas, as we know him, is probably not more than 150 years old.

It all began during the fourth century at Patara, part of a town called Lycia which was in the Asian part of Turkey, later known as Asia Minor.

Around AD 324, a child called Nicholas was born to very wealthy parents and although very little other information is known about the family, it is recorded that the parents both died when the child was very young and Nicholas was brought up by an uncle. Although much of the region was then pagan, Nicholas was given a Catholic upbringing and decided to follow the religious life, becoming a priest and joining a monastery as soon as he was eligible.

Even as a youngster, Nicholas showed strong signs of wanting to care for others less fortunate than himself, and as he progressed through the ranks of the priesthood, eventually becoming abbot of his monastery, he never lost his desire to help the poor and needy. In time, he was appointed Bishop of Myra and this allowed him to expand his charitable work.

Another factor in his favour was that when he became of age, he inherited a huge fortune left by his parents and he used this, not for his own purposes, but to aid his work, for the poor and needy.

A host of stories, some highly unlikely, grew around him - there is one story that he miraculously brought three young girls back to life after they had been murdered by an inn keeper and hidden in a tub, but this arose from a misinterpretation of an early painting of Nicholas. He was shown carrying three golden bags full of coins, but someone thought they were the blonde heads of three children ... and so a legend was born.

Nonetheless, he did work in a way which give rise to legends because he gave away his wealth in great secrecy. He never wanted anyone to know the identity of the mystery benefactor - but one night, his plans went wrong.

Nicholas, when he was Bishop of Myra, had learned of a man who had fallen on very hard times, a loving father who was unable to care for his children; they were three young girls. Nicholas made a point of passing his house late one night and tossed a bag of money through an open window, then left in secret. A few nights later, he made a second visit and did likewise with another bag of money, but after this visit, the man became curious enough to lie in wait for his generous helper. He wanted to know who it was, and he wanted to thank him.

On the third visit by Nicholas, the man managed to catch him as he threw in the third bag of coins but Nicholas asked him to promise never to reveal his identity.

But such secrets are difficult to maintain, and so the story of the mystery midnight benefactor came to light - and accounts of the generosity of the man who became Saint Nicholas, or Santa Claus, have come to us down the centuries. Statues of St Nicholas often depict him carrying a tray bearing three bags of gold - not childrens' blonde heads!

The story of Nicholas and his generosity, invariably done under the cloak of secrecy and usually at night, quickly spread around Asia and Europe, and others emulated him, but this did ensure that Nicholas became one of the world's most popular saints. He is the patron of Greece, Russia, Sicily, Naples, Lorraine, Limerick, and of children, sailors, travellers, merchants, bankers, pawnbrokers, scholars, brewers, bakers, the innocent and the wronged.

But for all his fame, Nicholas died when only 46 years of age; some of his relics are in the Catholic church at Bari, in the south of Italy, and there are some bones of questionable authenticity in a museum at Ankara.

The notion of hiding presents for children to "find" on the feast of St Nicholas probably began in Holland. His feast day is December 6 (not Christmas day) and that is when Dutch parents conceal presents around the house. First though, the family goes outside to watch the arrival in their village or town of St Nicholas, clad in red robes and carrying a golden staff. In some cases, he wears the episcopal ring of a bishop on his finger, a reminder of his real status.

After this procession, which includes the ringing of church bells and even a parade of civic dignitaries and a local band, the children return home to hunt for their presents. Two of my own grandchildren, whose father is Dutch, usually go to Holland for his treat - and then return to England for a second Christmas! They distinguish the two events by calling the first the feast of St Nicholas, and the second by referring to Father Christmas - but both involve presents which arrive in secret, just as St Nicholas contrived to do all those centuries ago.

The Dutch name for Saint Nicholas became shortened to Sinta Klaas and the Dutch settlers in America called him Santa Claus; this name was introduced to England some 150 years age but we re-named him Father Christmas.

For all its bizarre commercialisation, Christmas remains a time of great rejoicing and happiness, even if some of us ignore, forget or fail to comprehend its early Christian origins. Happily, the spirit of St Nicholas continues in the act of giving presents even if we are not very secretive about it!

And to all readers, I extend my wishes for a very happy and contented Christmas.