4. December – Advent Calendar

Christmas Traditions in English Speaking Countries

Santa through the Chimney

In English speaking countries, Santa’s travels through the sky. He lands his sleigh on the roof and then climbs through the chimney and the fireplace into the sitting room, where he puts the presents under the tree.

This image of Santa goes back to a poem which was first published in 1823: „The night before Christmas“. Before that poem was published, there had been many different stories on how Santa travels from house to house. As the poem became more and more famous, however, more and more people believed in this version of Santa travelling from house to house (or from roof to roof).