TOWARDS Christmas in 1951, some priests in Dijon, France, decided to hang an effigy of Father Christmas, or Santa Claus, in the Cathedral square. Then they set his beard on fire. And his whole body went up in smoke.

Around 250 children were invited to watch the spectacle. The Church explained its reasons in a press conference, saying that Santa Claus was a lie and that 'lies about him cannot arouse religious feelings in a child.'

'For Christians, the