An Aztec Santa Claus (1930)

Though not a Victorian ghost story, people might nonetheless find the below poem—or the story behind it—interesting. In Mexico in 1930, there had been an apparently brief nationalistic attempt to replace Santa Claus with Quetzalcóatl. (See e.g.
"Quetzalcóatl & Christmas." El Universal. July 12, 2019. https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/english/when-quetzalcoatl-took-over-christmas.)

An Aztec Santa Claus
By John Alden
(By official edict Mexico will have no Santa Claus this year, but the Feathered Serpent god of the Aztecs will give out all Christmas presents. Quetzalcoatl was worshipped before the Spaniards came.—News.)

Quetzalcoatl—how consonants rattle—
	God of the merchants and salesmen of old;
Honored from Salvador up to Cholula,
	Ought to be thought of when gift-things are sold.
Quetzalcoatl stills Santa Claus' tattle;
	Parents to children his methods explain;
Crawling snake fashion, or on his wings flying,
	Ne'er a house entrance he's seeking in vain.
Quetzalcoatl miasmas will battle,
	Forcing his way through or over the swamps;
Daring the waterless sands with his burden,
	Making his way to pueblos and camps.
Quetzalcoatl has no reindeer cattle;
	Comes down no chimney as Santa Claus may;
Frankness and warmth greet the Mexican children;
	He has no use for a mask or a sleigh.
Quetzalcoatl, though churchmen may prattle,
	No hint of drama is likely to miss;
Answer the critics, "'Tis certain that he is
	No more a myth than dear Santa Claus is."
Brooklyn Daily Eagle [NY]. December 3, 1930.