So is that the whole Santa Claus story? You’d have thought so, except there’s one more possible explanation. An even deeper origin story which throws everything in a whole, psychedelic new light. Could the Santa saga have been inspired by magic mushrooms, in the frosty wilds of the Arctic?

Some academics take the theory very seriously, not least because it provides some explanation of why Santa is linked with the North Pole. According to this school of thought, it goes back to the distant days of Shamanic rituals among the Sami people of Lapland and other parts of northern Europe. As author and mushroom expert Lawrence Millman has written, these shamans would pursue transcendent states of consciousness by partaking in Amanita muscaria, a fungus with hallucinogenic properties. It’s known to induce feelings of euphoria and flight.

As anthropologist John Rush says, “Up until a few hundred years ago, these practising shamans or priests connected to the older traditions would collect Amanita muscaria, dry them and then give them as gifts on the winter solstice”. Add to this the importance of reindeer to these Arctic cultures – reindeer which might appear to fly if you happen to be knocking back mushrooms like Christmas Day Quality Street – and you have the basic ingredients of the Santa mythology. Ingredients which, according to the defenders of this theory, trickled down and blended in with the folklore of St Nicholas. And it’s surely no coincidence that the mushroom in question is known for its distinctive red and white cap. Is it?

Well, plenty of other historians and folklore experts believe the theory is as fanciful as a red-nosed reindeer. So, as with so many about Santa, it’s all about what you want to believe about the big man. Just don’t get any ideas and slip funny fungi into the turkey stuffing – the big day will be quite stressful enough as it is.