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MYTHS ARE ABUNDANT AT THIS FESTIVE TIME OF YEAR, AND THE CHIMNEY IS OFTEN A THE CENTRE STAGE OF MANY OF THEM

By Kristian Jennings

Kristian of Jennings Chimney Sweeping specializes in Chimney problem diagnosis and is a member of the Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps

Sleigh bells, reindeers, a jolly fellow in a plush red suit and a snow-covered chimney top. These things are just some of those that come to mind when the word “Christmas” is spoken. For many years, the humble chimney has retained a central role in the festivities - after all, how could Santa deliver all our presents if there was no chimney? However, it’s not always been the case that a cheerful, somewhat plump gent with rosy red cheeks and beard as white as snow plopped down a flue with such merry aplomb. The first notion of Santa using a chimney to deliver presents can be found in Washington Irving’s 1809 book ‘Knickerbocker’s History of New York’. Irving’s parody novel to ‘A Picture of New York’ jested to Dutch immigrants in New Amsterdam obsessed with the Dutch Heritage of the city. In his 1809 book, the character ‘Sinterklaas’ is presented smoking a clay pipe and of Elven appearance who ‘would often make his appearance in his beloved city of a holiday afternoon, riding jollily among the treetops or over the roofs of the houses, now and then drawing forth magnificent presents from his breeches pockets and dropping them down the chimneys of his favorites’. Sinterklaas, who later became the Americanized ‘Santa Claus’, was not found tumbling down the chimney himself however until 1823, when in Professor Clement Clark Moore’s famous poem ‘A visit from St Nicholas’ (more commonly known as The Night Before Christmas and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas from its first line), he wrote:

As I drew in my head, and was turning around, Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound. He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot, And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot 1881 was the first time we got to see the Santa Claus we all know now. Thomas

Nast developed the image of the festive figure adorned with a furry red coat and mistletoe atop his matching red hat, arms overflowing with presents and smoking a pipe. A hugely successful marketing campaign 50 years later by Coca Cola really hammered home the idea of the jolly fellow in red as they spread their message that Coca Cola was an all year round beverage and not just for the hotter summer months as was the common conception at the time. Santa isn’t the only character to enter our homes via the chimney over the Christmas period. Myths of Witches, Goblins and Fairies letting themselves in via the chimney were very common and likely to have influenced the literary traditions surrounding the end of the calendar year. There is a particular story of a Brownie who would let itself down the chimney and complete household tasks whilst you slept – now wouldn’t that be a lovely thing to wake up to! One so-called ‘Companion’ of Saint Nicholas is the somewhat similar gift-bringing character known in German Folklore as ‘Belsnickel’. The tatty-clothed, whipwielding, Christmas figure was said to travel alone, frightening the naughty children and rewarding the nice ones. Belsnickel would fill stockings with presents at midnight and his favourite way to enter the home was, you guessed it, the chimney. In Norse mythology, it is said Odin and his motley gang would fly over the villages and countryside scaring anyone who was out and about during the late hours of the night. Children would fill stockings with straw and leave them by the hearth where Odin would slip down the chimney and leave toys and candy. For most of the year, the chimney sits unnoticed atop the roof of our house. However, once a year, every year, our attention shifts as we begin to think about what might be coming down the flue. Whether it be a Goblin, a Norse god, or a cheerful chap in red, there is no doubting that the humble chimney deserves its place on the festive stage. Merry Christmas everyone.