AT this time of the year, you can meet Father Christmas on literally every corner in many of the big cities around the world. But this tradition is not so popular in Bulgaria.

I found one of the few Bulgarian versions of Father Christmas - if not the only one - who are spreading the Christmas joy this year, in Halite - a famous shopping destination for the citizens of Sofia in the city centre.

For a reasonable amount of money, you can get three pictures with him and a calendar made by Snow White, who is also his assistant-photographer.

I felt very relieved when I discovered that Father Christmas doesn't work overtime - a matter that worried me much when I was a child, trying to understand how he makes millions of presents with only the help of the dwarves. But it turned out his office hours are "only" from 11am to 7pm.

But, putting aside the commercial side of the story, it's always nice and exciting to have a meeting with Santa, whatever age you are. So, there I was standing in front of a decorated Christmas tree, just like a little kid, waiting for Father Christmas.

He was a little bit late, but I didn't even mention it, assuming he was busy doing some last minute preparations on his sleigh or feeding the reindeer.

I must confess I didn't expect him to be so young. But it seems Emanuil Treiman, only 21 years old, is one of Santa's grandsons. Despite his age, he is aware of both the lighter and more serious sides of his job.

"It's great to feel how many people like you. Especially the children, they go crazy when they see me," he said. "But at the same time being Father Christmas means responsibility. He's an image which symbolises hope and goodness and always has to be smiley and bring joy to people. "

Treiman said that the top children's wish for a Christmas present this year was to have a computer. Ponies, teddy bears, and all kinds of toys, stand lower on the list. But what shocked Father Christmas's grandson the most was when a five-year-old girl asked for a big gun, saying she wanted to become a soldier.

Treiman confirmed from his experience that the widely held beliefs that people are better and nicer during the Christmas holidays are not just cliches: "Almost everyone who sees me automatically smiles at me. Believe it or not, people are really much kinder and warmer at this time of the year."

So, what is Father Christmas's dream? He's kind of an idealist and wants to make everybody happy. The young man would also like happiness for himself. "But it's not enough only to want to be happy, you have to be persistent in achieving your happiness," he says.

As well as being Father Christmas, Treiman has some other occupations too. As an ambitious young man, he is studying two subjects at the same time - economics and management in France and public relations at Sofia University. Meanwhile, he also works as a personnel trainer.

Treiman has lived in France for two years, but he wants to build his future in Bulgaria. He is very optimistic about the development of his home country: "Although some research shows we're going to reach the standard of living of the EU in 530 years, I don't think we're that bad. To me Bulgaria, not some other country, is the place with unlimited opportunities. And if you are persistent enough you can fulfill your dreams."

The young man considers Bulgarians' way of thinking to be a hindrance to a much better future: "Bulgarians think their problems cannot be solved, and this prevents them from finding the solution and being happy."

According to Treiman, Christmas is a holiday when you show the closest people to your heart how much you care for them, a time when the whole family should be together.

"When I finish work on December 24, I will go, dressed like Santa, straight to celebrate with my family and to bring them some joy as the good old man does, " he says of his plans for Christmas Eve.