Father Christmas is a very kind-hearted man. He lands on top of each house all over the world and climbs down the chimney. He then fills the stockings with Christmas presents. But who is Father Christmas? In fact, he is based on a real person in history. In Turkey, there once was a man named Saint Nicholas. He was a very shy person. He wanted to give money to the poor. But he didn’t want them to know that the money came from him. He didn’t know what to do. It is said that one day he climbed to the top of a house and dropped some money down a chimney. It went into a stocking that a little girl had hung by the fireplace to dry. Even though Father Christmas is no longer living, his spirit of generosity（慷慨） lives on today.

　In England, he is called Father Christmas. In American and Canada, he is called Santa Claus. He flies through the sky in the sleigh pulled by eight reindeer. In China, he is called Sheng dan Laoren. In Hong Kong, he is called Sing dan Loian.