Western culture, a main feature of Christmas is the exchange of gifts among friends and family members, some of them being attributed to Santa Claus. Santa Claus is also known by other names, such as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, Saint Basil and Father Frost. Santa Claus is based on the tale about Saint Nicholas, or Sinterklaas, who gave gifts on the eve of his feast day of December 6. He became associated with Christmas in 19th century America and was renamed Santa Claus or Saint Nick. In Britain and France too, Father Christmas and Pere Noel respectively were made to adopt the Santa image.
Christmas tree
The Christmas tree owes its origin to the ancient pagan idea, later appropriated by the christians, that the evergreen tree represents a celebration of the renewal of life. Christmas trees first became popular in Germany in the late 18th century. Christmas trees may be decorated with lights and ornaments. The poinsettia then became associated with Christmas, while other popular holiday plants include holly, mistletoe, red amaryllis, and Christmas cactus. In some parts of the world, it is traditional to decorate the outside of houses with lights and sometimes with illuminated sleighs, snowmen, and other Christmas figures. Town authorities also hang Christmas banners from street lights and place Christmas trees in the town square.
Feasts and cards
A special meal of Christmas dishes is usually served on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve. Another extremely popular tradition is to send Christmas cards to friends and family members. Cards can also be produced with messages such as “Season’s Greetings” or “Happy Holidays”, to include senders and recipients who may not