How does Father Christmas deliver presents when your house has no chimney?

My own grandchildren had the answer: “He has a magic key to open the front door.”

Santa always had a hectic Christmas night, but as the Oxford Mail has constantly reminded us over the years, he also has a busy time in the run-up to the festive season.

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Picture 1 shows him festooned in balloons as he made his way to the Selfridges’ store in Oxford’s Westgate Centre in a horse-drawn carriage in 1974.

Hundreds of people turned out to welcome him and his entourage.

Father Christmas in Picture 2 brought delight to the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre at Headington in 1965, handing out gifts to 25 children in Robert Jones Ward, among them Lesley Sallaway, 11, seen with her doll.

Oxford Mail: He was accompanied by a gang of mystery men in masks calling themselves ‘The Uncles’, in reality staff at the Nuffield Press, who organised pop music and a puppet show.

There was more joy for children when Santa in Picture 3 arrived at a Christmas event organised by the Northway division of St John Ambulance in Oxford in 1986.

They included Philip Axtell, eight, and his six-year-old sister Kirsty.

Oxford Mail: Children didn’t always receive presents from Santa – often they presented to him, as in Picture 4 taken at the New Theatre in Oxford in 1979.

The hundreds of toys they handed over were to go to deprived families.

It was the same in Picture 5 when Santa, alias well-known Oxford character Jimmy Dingle, accepted gifts from shoppers in Oxford Covered Market for children and the elderly.

He is seen with organiser John Reed with some of the record 2,500 gifts donated in 1965.

Picture 6 dates from 1993 when Morris dancers joined in Boxing Day fun with Father Christmas and other members of the community outside the Masons Arms at Headington Quarry, Oxford.

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

You can also read his weekly Traffic and Transport newsletter.