ALBERT ART AND CRAFT

Christmas  is an annual  festival , commemorating  the birth  of  Jesus Christ , [8] [9]  observed primarily on December 25 [4] [10] [11]  as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. [2] [12] [13]  A  feast  central to the  Christian   liturgical year , it is preceded by the season of  Advent  or the  Nativity Fast  and initiates the season of  Christmastide , which historically in the West lasts  twelve days  and culminates on  Twelfth Night ; [14]  in some traditions, Christmastide includes an  octave . [15]  Christmas Day is a public  holiday  in  many of the world's nations , [16] [17] [18]  is celebrated religiously by a majority of Christians, [19]  as well as  culturally  by many non-Christians, [1] [20]  and forms an integral part of the  holiday season  centered around it....

Santa Claus , also known as  Saint Nicholas ,  Kris Kringle ,  Father Christmas , or simply  Santa , is a legendary figure originating in  Western Christian culture  who is said to bring gifts to the homes of well-behaved ("good" or "nice") children on  Christmas Eve  (24 December) and the early morning hours of  Christmas Day  (25 December). [1]  The modern Santa Claus grew out of traditions surrounding the historical  Saint Nicholas  (a fourth-century Greek  bishop  and gift-giver of  Myra ), the  British  figure of  Father Christmas  and the  Dutch  figure of  Sinterklaas (himself also based on Saint Nicholas). Some maintain Santa Claus also absorbed elements of the  Germanic  god  Wodan , who was associated with the pagan midwinter event of  Yule  and led the  Wild Hunt , a ghostly procession through the sky. Santa Claus is gener...

Thermocol model Bu ilding