The cast of Christmas

Will Ferrell's six-foot elf, now a permanent fixture of the season.

A top hat, a corn-cob pipe, and one perfect winter afternoon.

The eight-year-old who out-witted two burglars and became a genre.

Alpine folklore's horned punisher of naughty children. Currently having a resurgence.

From a 1939 department-store poem to the whole sleigh team's frontman.

Descended from Saint Nicholas via Coca-Cola. The definitive Christmas character.

Dr. Seuss's green misanthrope, forever redeemable.

From ETA Hoffmann's tale to the ballet the whole world knows.