While in the UK, it’s Santa who decides if you’ve been naughty or nice, in other countries he’s not the person making the decisions. There’s a whole host of present giving characters out there.
To be honest, expecting one elderly bearded gentleman to manage to visit millions of homes the world over is a bit of a tall order. So it makes sense that he’s delegated his workload.
In Scandinavia, it’s a little gnome called Julenisse who puts the presents under the Christmas tree. To keep his energy up over the course of the night, children leave him a bowl of porridge.
Russian children get their gifts from a lady called Babushka – which means grandmother. Legend has it that she was meant to visit Jesus with the wise men, but didn’t because of the cold weather. Regretful of her decision she set off laden with gifts, but never found Jesus. So now she goes from house to house, delivering her gifts to good children.
While Japan doesn’t really celebrate Christmas in a religious sense, gifts are exchanged. A Buddhist monk called Hotei-osho visits each house and leaves presents for the children. Some believe he has eyes in the back of his head, so children try to behave when he’s around.
Children in Venezuela have to wait until the 6th January for their presents. Instead of carrots for reindeer they leave straw for the Magi’s camels. If they’ve been good this straw will be magically replaced by gifts.
If you’re worried about what any these characters are going to leave for your loved ones, don’t be. We’ve got a host of wonderful Christmas gifts for Men and Women.
Oh and if you’re in the UK, we’re offering free delivery at the moment too.
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