One of the traditions which is now a necessary part of Christmas is a that of Father Christmas, or Santa Claus. According to the modern legend, he is a magical figure who visits all the children of the world during the night before Christmas Day, leaving presents which they find the next morning. He flies through the night sky in a sledge pulled by reindeer, and enters houses by climbing down chimneys. This strange legend is based on the life of a man called Nicholas, but in fact we know very little about him. Historians think he was a Christian bishop in Turkey in about 285--350 A.D. One of the stories about him is that he helped three poor girls. No one would marry them because they were so poor. To provide them with money for their weddings, Nicholas secretly dropped some gold coins down the chimney of their house. After Nicholas died, he was made a saint by the church.(The name Santa Claus thus comes from St Nicholas.) His feast day was celebrated in December, and parents started giving their children secret presents from St Nicholas. Over the years, this custom became part of our Christmas traditions. 

Recently, a psychologist has claimed that Father Christmas is "the perfect fantasy" for children. According to Professor Anthony Clare, children love the character of Father Christmas because he is like an ideal father: he loves children and gives them presents, but he never criticizes them, is never angry, and children do not even need to thank him for the presents. Other writers, however, point out that Father Christmas can be a frightening character to some children. Jane Bidder says that some children are terrified of this fat, bearded old man. It can certainly confuse many children. As parents, we warn our children to be careful of strangers and never to let them into the house, and yet we tell children that a strange man will come into their bedroom at night! Some children can become very worried about this idea and fear that he is a kind of burglar. 

Most children, however, understand from their parents and from the media that Father Christmas is basically a _ character, and look forward to his annual visit with joy and excitement. QUESTIONS:

Q1:
1. What are the origins of the Santa Claus legend?
2. How did tales of Santa Claus come about?
3. Who is the legend of Santa Claus based on?
Q2:
1. What was the name of the person who Santa Claus was based on?
2. Who served as the basis of the Santa Claus legend?
3. What was the name of the Christian Turkish bishop?
Q3:
1. How does Santa Claus enter people's houses?
2. What does Santa Claus do to enter into people's homes?
3. What is Santa's method for getting into people's houses?
Q4:
1. When was St. Nicholas alive?
2. What was the lifespan of St. Nicholas?
3. During which years did St. Nicholas live?
Q5:
1. Why did St. Nicholas want to help the poor girls?
2. What made St. Nicholas wish to come to the aid of the poor girls?
3. What sparked St. Nicholas's desire to help the poor girls?
Q6:
1. Why do researchers believe that kids like Santa so much?
2. For what reason does research suggest that children love Santa Claus so?
3. What is the theory for why children are so enamoured with Father Christmas?
Q7:
1. What makes Santa so ideal?
2. What are the ideal qualities of Santa Claus?
3. For what reason do children tend to idolize Santa Claus?
Q8:
1. Do all children idealize Santa Claus?
2. Is Santa Claus idealized by all children?
3. Is Santa Claus beloved by all kids?
Q9:
1. Why don't some kids like Santa Claus?
2. What makes Santa Claus not ideal to certain children?
3. What makes some children shy away from Santa?
Q10:
1. What would make a child frightened of Santa?
2. Why would a kid be scared of Santa Claus?
3. What may make Father Christmas frightening to some children?
Q11:
1. What did St. Nicholas send down chimneys?
2. What was dropped down chimneys by St. Nicholas?
3. What was sent down chimneys of behalf of St. Nicholas?
Q12:
1. Did St. Nicholas tell anyone he was sending presents?
2. Did St. Nicholas make his business of sending presents known?
3. Was it known that St. Nicholas was sending presents down chimneys?
