Kiddicraft KIDDIZ Figure Pack: Santa Claus KC1412

Kiddicraft's KIDDIZ Figure Pack: Santa Claus contains 120 pieces — Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus in traditional dress, with furnishings and decorations to build their living room. Age 5+.

Half of Germany is not visited by Santa Claus at all

Germany is split on who brings the presents, and the line runs roughly along the old religious divide.

In the north and east, largely Protestant, it is the Weihnachtsmann — the figure this set depicts, recognisably the Santa Claus of the English-speaking world.

In the south and west, largely Catholic — Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, the Rhineland — it is the Christkind: a luminous angelic child who is never seen, arrives while the family is out of the room, and rings a small bell on the way out to signal that the tree and the presents are ready.

The history is a fine piece of irony. Martin Luther disliked the veneration of saints and wanted to displace St Nicholas as the gift-bringer, so he promoted the Christ child instead. Over four centuries the two swapped sides: the Protestant north adopted a secularised descendant of St Nicholas, while Luther's Christkind took root in Catholic regions and stayed there.

Both arrive on Christmas Eve, not Christmas morning. The presents are opened on the 24th after dark, which is the part visitors most often get wrong.

A living room rather than a workshop

Most Santa sets are sleighs and workshops. This one is domestic — two figures at home, with furniture — which is a quieter subject and easier to place on a shelf in December.

In the Kiddicraft range

Figure packs KC1403, KC1404 and KC1407 add city residents; KC1405 supplies parts to build your own.

Specifications

Pieces: 120 · Figures: 2 KIDDIZ · Living room furnishings and decorations · Series: Kiddicraft · Age: 5+ · Compatible with leading brick systems