Editing Father Christmas (section)

==20th century==

[[File:Father Christmas, Tuck Photo Oilette postcard 1919, front.jpg|thumb|alt=Postcard of Father Christmas with two children|An English postcard of 1919 epitomises the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary|OED]]'s'' definition of Father Christmas as "a personification of Christmas, now conventionally pictured as a benevolent old man with a long white beard and red clothes trimmed with white fur, who brings presents for children on the night before Christmas Day".<ref name="OED"/>]]
Any residual distinctions between Father Christmas and Santa Claus largely faded away in the early years of the new century, and it was reported in 1915, "The majority of children to-day ... do not know of any difference between our old Father Christmas and the comparatively new Santa Claus, as, by both wearing the same garb, they have effected a happy compromise."<ref name=" SevenoaksChronicle1915">{{cite news | url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001067/19151231/028/0003 | title=Santa Claus | work=Sevenoaks Chronicle and Kentish Advertiser | date=31 December 1915 | access-date=17 February 2016 | location=Sevenoaks | pages=3}}</ref>

It took many years for authors and illustrators to agree that Father Christmas's costume should be portrayed as red—although that was always the most common colour—and he could sometimes be found in a gown of brown, green, blue or white.<ref name="EnglishYear385"/><ref name="ODEF119-120"/><ref name="LutonTimes"/> Mass media approval of the red costume came following a [[Coca-Cola]] [[Santa Claus#20th century|advertising campaign]] that was launched in 1931.<ref name="EnglishYear385"/>

[[File:Father Christmas cartoon, Punch magazine, 24 December 1919.jpg|thumb|alt=Cartoon of Father Christmas speaking to a young boy in bed|Father Christmas cartoon, [[Punch (magazine)|''Punch'']], Dec 1919]]

Father Christmas's common form for much of the 20th century was described by his entry in the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]''. He is "the personification of Christmas as a benevolent old man with a flowing white beard, wearing a red sleeved gown and hood trimmed with white fur, and carrying a sack of Christmas presents".<ref name="OED"/> One of the [[Oxford English Dictionary|OED]]'s sources is a 1919 cartoon in ''[[Punch (magazine)|Punch]]'', reproduced here.<ref name="Punch24Dec1919">{{cite magazine | magazine=Punch | title= [untitled]| date=24 December 1919 | volume=157 | pages=538}}</ref> The caption reads:

:''Uncle James (who after hours of making up rather fancies himself as Father Christmas)''. "Well, my little man, and do you know who I am?"
:''The Little Man.'' "No, as a matter of fact I don't. But Father's downstairs; perhaps he may be able to tell you."

In 1951 an editorial in ''[[The Times]]'' opined that while most adults may be under the impression that [the English] Father Christmas is home-bred, and is "a good insular [[John Bull]] old gentleman", many children, "led away ... by the false romanticism of sledges and reindeer", post letters to Norway addressed simply to Father Christmas or, "giving him a foreign veneer, Santa Claus".<ref name="TimesDec1951">{{cite news | url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=herlib&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&docId=CS118181269&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0 | title=Simple Faith | work=[[The Times]] | date=21 December 1951 | access-date=7 February 2016 | location=London | pages=7}}</ref>

Differences between the English and US representations were discussed in ''[[The Illustrated London News]]'' of 1985. The classic illustration by the US artist [[Thomas Nast]] was held to be "the authorised version of how Santa Claus should look—in America, that is."  In Britain, people were said to stick to the older Father Christmas, with a long robe, large concealing beard, and boots similar to [[Wellington boot|Wellingtons]].<ref name="ILN, Dec1985">{{cite journal | url=http://find.galegroup.com/iln/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=ILN&userGroupName=herlib&tabID=T003&docPage=article&docId=HN3100432613&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0| title=The Christmas Gift Bringer | author=Robertshaw, Ursula | journal=Illustrated London News | date=2 December 1985 | issue=1985 Christmas Number | pages=np}}</ref>

[[File:Father Christmas Packing 1931 by JRR Tolkien.jpg|thumb|200px|alt=Coloured drawing|''Father Christmas Packing 1931'', as imagined in a private letter by [[J. R. R. Tolkien]], published in 1976]]
Father Christmas appeared in many 20th century [[English language|English-language]] works of fiction, including [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s ''[[Father Christmas Letters]]'', a series of private letters to his children written between 1920 and 1942 and first published in 1976.<ref name="FCLetters">{{cite book | title=The Father Christmas Letters | publisher=George Allen and Unwin Ltd | author=Tolkien, JRR | year=1976 | location=London | isbn=0-04-823130-4}}</ref> Other 20th century publications include [[C. S. Lewis]]'s ''[[The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe]]'' (1950), [[Raymond Briggs]]'s ''[[Father Christmas (comics)|Father Christmas]]'' (1973) and its sequel ''Father Christmas Goes on Holiday'' (1975). The character was also celebrated in popular songs, including "[[I Believe in Father Christmas]]" by [[Greg Lake]] (1974) and "[[Father Christmas (song)|Father Christmas]]" by [[The Kinks]] (1977).

In 1991, Raymond Briggs's two books were adapted as an animated short film, ''[[Father Christmas (1991 film)|Father Christmas]]'', starring [[Mel Smith]] as the voice of the title character.