“Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse”

Until 1823, St. Nicholas - a balding Greek Orthodox Bishop who helped the poor, resurrected murder victims and weightlessly multiplied wheat - was a pretty serious figure. So, what happened? American academic Clement C. Moore gave Saint Nic a jolly, fat makeover, some new red velvet threads and eight reindeers in his ever-popular festive poem, making him the Santa Claus we know today.

Shop The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore at Waterstones, £8.50