From: "Ed Reynolds" <ed>

Since it's Christmas Day, I thought it would be a good opportunity to
post about the Father Christmas story I thought we might do at some point
(possibly in season 5). All I really have in mind at the moment is the
back-story to the character. It would be mostly told in flashbacks,
but interspersed with a present day action plot as usual.

We'd introduce the character by flashing back to Europe several
centuries ago (not sure where/when yet) where two parents in a fairly well-to-do
family are sending their kids to bed on Christmas Eve. The most
mischievous kid anxiously asks if Santa Claus is coming tonight, and is told that
Santa is only a fairy tale - not real. So the kid goes to bed. But when he's
asleep, a wisp of smoke comes down the chimney and Santa Claus and his
Moorish accomplice Black Peter materialise. This Santa would be quite
different from our modern image of him, probably decorated in humble,
natural colours - greens maybe - and more gaunt than we're used to.
Although he's essentially human, he would also need to come across as a quite
wild force of nature while still recognisable.

He'd creep up to the bed where the kid lies, talk to Black Peter in an
ambiguous fashion (playing on modern expectations of Santa as a gift
giver) before grabbing the kid and dumping him into a huge sack just as the
kid wakes up screaming. The pair would leap out of the window onto a
flying white horse and make off into the night, leaving behind screaming
siblings and distraught parents.

These stolen kids would be enchanted into slavery and would serve
Father Christmas by way of repentance. Santa sees himself as doing a
Christian duty by saving these children from a life of sin. Nonetheless, his slave
Black Peter finally has enough of the situation, believing that Santa's
methods are too Draconian, and one evening in the nineteenth century manages
to break free and leads a revolt on Santa Claus, who is captured. Black
Peter unfortunately finds himself martyred in the attempt - the local
people in their current country of residence (possibly America) believe him to
be a slave that has killed his master (the people don't know them as Santa
and Black Peter of course) and is put to death (without trial) as a
result.

The slaves, now without a master, flee to the North Pole and using
what magic they can muster, create a habitable region where they appoint a
new 'Santa Claus' - slightly more familiar in look to the modern image,
although still quite different and less 'cuddly'. He's dedicated to balancing
out the negative work of the last one. Although their captor is gone (now
imprisoned for the safety of children across the world), the slaves are still
bound for eternity. Their new mission is to reward the virtuous rather than
punishing the wicked.

The origin of the original Santa Claus I'm less sure about. I think
he was a devout Christian who was once ensnared by the whisperings of the (then
human) Madoc. The evidence of this includes his assumed name,
Nicholas. When he realised the error of his ways, he vowed to make sure that no
child would ever follow in his terrible path into sin - even if this meant
stealing them away into slavery. Black Peter was a slave that he acquired, but that
wasn't so uncommon at that time. Father Christmas is probably some kind of
Halfling - at any rate, he seems to be immortal and bestows
immortality indirectly upon all those he binds. (Immortality where they don't die
from natural causes mind, not the Demona and Macbeth variety where they
literally *can't* be killed).

Where this backstory would tie into the present day depends on which
series the story features in - possibilities suggest themselves to me for
either a 'Pendragon' or a 'Gargoyles' story. But the basic premise would be
that the beaten and deflated Santa Claus begs to be let free to help protect
the 'grotto' against the Unseelies during the Second Unseelie War, and
subsequently escapes. The respective heroes are asked to help track
him before he starts enslaving wrongdoers again. The story would be about
forgiveness - who deserves it, who gets it, why they get it and how
you go about forgiving yourself and finding a purpose from that.

In 'Gargoyles' we'd probably focus on Goliath and the Xanatos family.
In 'Pendragon' it would be the usual regulars (since the regular cast is
much smaller).

(The issue about Santa and his elves delivering presents to the
children of the world would be left deliberately vague, incidentally. While they
would doubtless endeavour to make some miracle deliveries, how many of the
supposed Santa visitations actually are as a result of the freed
slaves is a question that would not be mentioned at all).

Ed