Getting Personal

                What'll Santa drop down your chimney?
            
                Christmas is a time of the year filled with expectation; when even the most hardened cynics can't help but feel at least a slight twinge of happiness about the holiday period. It could be the expectation of time off in front of the sofa – or with the kids - or it could be caused by a secret belief in Santa Claus; and if the latter, the hope that he'll be dropping some amazing Christmas Presents down the chimney.
 
But what is the history behind chimneys? Were they invented solely for the purpose of depositing Christmas Presents, or is there some deeper meaning behind their construction? The history of the chimney is a long one, going back to the time of the Romans. Reportedly, the Romans made use of tubing in order to remove smoke from bakeries. However, it was not until the onset of the 12th century that chimneys – as we know them today – first appeared. And, although chimneys were initially constructed exclusively from bricks, this construction technique was later modified; chimney construction shifted to a process of placing bricks around liners created from tiles.
 
Although many modern heating systems no longer require the construction of a traditional chimney, houses with the infrastructure for older appliances – such as fireplaces – contain chimneys built in the form of a stack. In addition to the stack often being placed at the back and front of a property, the presence of multiple chimney pots is a clear indication that the old fashioned chimney was used for different fireplaces located on different floors of the property.
 
But when it comes to Christmas Presents, is the construction of a chimney really important? Are there any implications that Santa should be aware of? And if you have modern central heating in your home, is Santa still going to be able to deliver all of those amazing Christmas Presents? 

Assuming that Santa is not going to have any kind of trouble getting access to your property, he will no doubt pick Christmas Presents according to your own particular tastes. If you're the kind of person who likes to spice up the festivities with a delicious glass or two of wine, why not write to Santa and ask for a Personalised Wine Bar Set and Gift Box? Presented with an engraved plaque – featuring a message of your choice, up to 50 characters in length – the Personalised Wine Bar Set and Gift Box includes a number of essential items for wine connoisseurs, including a bottle opener, corkscrew and even a foil cutter. A bottle of Personalised Christmas Wine could also be an ideal choice; presented within a beautiful pine gift box, Personalised Christmas Wine is one of those ideal Christmas Presents that can help any party go with a little bit of fizz and sparkle.
 
But what about Christmas Presents for children? For those kids who love cuddly toys, why not make their day by requesting a Personalised Christmas Rudolph? Packed with oodles of cuddliness, the Personalised Christmas Rudolph can feature a message of your choice on his jumper, providing of course it doesn't exceed more than 50 characters.
 
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a mythical character popularised in a song about Santa's leading reindeer. Sporting a particularly red nose, Rudolph made it possible for Santa and the other reindeers to see their way through difficult weather conditions because of the glow given off by his nose. However, the original poem about Santa's reindeer originally mentioned only eight members of staff. Released in 1823 and entitled A Visit from St. Nicholas, the reindeers names were confirmed as Dasher, Dancer, Vixen, Prancer, Comet, Cupid, Blitzen and Donder.
 
However, no matter what the gift, just remember to be nice to Santa. Even if you suspect he might not be able to get inside your home, the chances are that he will. Make sure he has some tasty mince pies handy, and maybe even something nice to drink. After all, if we're expecting lovely Christmas Presents from Santa, wouldn't it be nice if we gave him something in return.