Next Saturday night, and into Sunday morning, millions of children will go to sleep with the whisper of magical sleigh-bells just beyond hearing, and the hope of multi-coloured, ribboned surprises to greet them when they wake, and the biggest part of that spell, and indeed the mystique of Christmas in its entirety is the red-robed, roly-poly gift-giver at the centre. Santa Claus is Christmas - it goes without saying - and as such he's appeared in a load of films dedicated to the festive period. But who has played the best, and indeed definitive Santa Claus from the movie world? If I could stretch the rules a little, I'd suggest it was that clearly CGIed geriatric who stars in the Coca Cola adverts. He's like a great big walking ball of Christmas joy. And those rosey cheeks could warm even the coldest of Scroogey Grinch hearts. Here are my top Santas: some qualify for slightly unconventional reasons, but it's Christmas, and I can do whatever the hell I want...
10. Tim Allen - The Santa Clause Trilogy
It's difficult to resist including him, considering Santa Claus (along with Buzz Lightyear) is arguably the defining role of Tim Allen's entire Hollywood career, but he definitely wasn't one of the top five. Still, it would feel somewhat wrong not to throw the Home Improvement star a bone at this time of year, and you do have to concede that he looks the part.