Created for a Coca-Cola advertisement in 1931, Father Christmas as he is known today continues to rouse the imaginations of both children and grown-ups year after year. In fact, his origins can be traced back to antiquity, so he is actually more than a thousand years old!

Ever since the Roman era, Christmas has been celebrated at the end of December and during Roman times it was celebrated just after the feast of Saturnalia that culminated with the feast of Sigillaires, during which children were offered numerous presents - quite like today's tradition! Over the centuries, Christianity became the dominant religion in Europe and Christmas absorbed the rituals of Saturnalia.

During the Middle-Ages, Saint Nicholas, upon the death of his parents, decided to donate his entire fortune to the poor and live in poverty himself. His story became legend and he has become one of the most portrayed Saints in religious iconography. Since the 12th century he has been celebrated in many countries in Europe, where he is a gift-giver bringing sweets for well-behaved children. Today, the legend continues to grow.      

In 1821 an American pastor wrote a Christmas story in which one of the characters was a fat, jolly, smiley man. Saint Nicholas' cap was replaced by the familiar red hat we know today, his donkey was replaced by a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer. Father Christmas was in the making.

With the help of iconography from antiquity and the Middle Ages, together with the archives from the Coca-Cola company and some stunning photographs of Christmas celebrations from all over the world, Father Christmas' Biography retraces, through a collection of superb images and a high-quality text, the history of the most universal of all the modern myths.