It’s better than what Stalin did. During his rule (1929–1953), dictator Joseph Stalin declared New Year’s Day as a national family holiday instead of Christmas and replaced the Christmas tree with the New Year’s tree in 1935. Grandfather Frost [a white-beared character in a fur coat from Russian folklore who bore gifts in a sleigh pulled by three horses], now appearing in either blue or red, was retained to bring gifts of New Year’s Even instead of Christmas Eve.