No help on the origins of writing letters to Father Christmas I'm afraid Capri; but fond childhood memories of watching the letter float leisurely up the chimney above a roaring winter fire.

In these days of central heating "Santa's Net" reports that Santa received 30,000 Emails last year. Presumably not all these were from children as "many people in their Emails to Santa ask for things like '$1,000,000' 'a new Ferrari' and 'one of the Spice girls - preferably - Sporty'"

During the week Dec 12-16th BBC Radio 4 broadcast from Jeremy Seal's book "Santa: A Life" - A long sleigh ride from Asia Minor to the mall

This charts the "biography" from a 4thC Christian bishop from Myra (now Demre in Turkey) via Amsterdam (where Sint Nicolaas was rendered as SinterKlass) to modern day America alongside European immigrants.

According to the book the giving of presents can be traced back to a single story of the Saints life by the chronicler Symeon which was widely disseminated in the early Christian Church.

"A nobleman had fallen on hard times and, since he could find no suitors for his impecunious daughters, decided to sell them into prostitution, God, however, had other plans and sent Nicholas to their aid. He went to their house at night and, not wishing to be identified, threw a bag of gold in the window giving the eldest daughter a dowry to make marriage possible. He did this twice more, but on the third visit was apprehended by the father. Nicholas swore him to secrecy."

.........and a Happy New Year