It’s a tradition with a long history – pre-Christian Norse communities marked a special winter festival, Yule, at the winter solstice, leaving out gifts of food and hay for the god Odin and his eight-legged horse, Sleipner, as part of their celebrations. Fast-forward several centuries, and the story of a Christian Saint, Nicholas (a fourth-century bishop known for his generosity and compassion for children) had taken hold across Europe; his feast day, 6th December, became a time when children would leave their empty shoes out overnight, hoping to find them filled with small gifts by morning. In anticipation, children would also leave out food and drink for the saint and his ‘helpers’, and over time this custom merged with local holiday celebrations.  
December 6th is still an important date in many European countries – German children put their shoes out, hoping to wake up and find St Nicholas has filled them with sweets, while in the Netherlands, ‘Sinterklaas Eve’ sees children putting carrots in their shoes for St. Nick’s horse, Amerigo (unlike Father Christmas, Dutch Sinterklaas doesn't ride in a sleigh!). For other nations, the tradition has moved to later in the month; in Sweden and Norway, children open their presents on December 24th, having left a bowl of porridge out the night before, while in Iceland there are 13 Father Christmases (or ‘Yule Lads’) to keep happy! 

Whatever you call him, and whatever you plan to leave as a little ‘thank you’, you’ll find plenty to keep up this happy tradition here at Greendale. As well as classic mince pies, we have a delicious selection of traybakes, treats and cookies to try; we think our filled cookies are just the ticket for a flagging Father Christmas – we’ll let you decide whether he prefers Nutella, Biscoff or our new After Eight and Chocolate Orange varieties! "