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Modern-day Christmas nostalgia at its finest!
My dear bookish friends,
If between all the eating and drinking and opening presents and being merry you have the time for one book this Christmas, it should be this absolute gem. I read it last year already and reread it again today because it is the magic of Christmas in book form. It doesn’t get any closer to Christmas magic than this!
About the Book
Enter a world of wonder with this heartfelt Christmas classic from bestselling children’s author Ben Miller.
Jackson knows all about the flying reindeer, he knows about the elves and the secret North Pole workshop, he knows about the magic that allows Father Christmas to deliver presents around the world in just one night, but there’s one thing he doesn’t know . . . how did Father Christmas become Father Christmas?
That all changes when, one Christmas Eve, Jackson meets Father Christmas and hears his incredible story.
So begins an enchanting fairy-tale into a magical snowy landscape, where Torvil, a mean-spirited and miserly elf, is about to discover the true meaning of Christmas. This might not have been the story Jackson was expecting but, as Father Christmas tells him, no good story ever is…
With beautiful illustrations throughout from Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini and warm, funny words from Ben Miller, this book will remind everyone of the true spirit of Christmas and prove once and for all that Father Christmas really does exist!
My Review
Jackson knows everything about Father Christmas and his reindeer, but then one of his friends instills a sliver of doubt in his mind. Does Santa really exist? Jackson decides to do the only thing to find out once and for all: he stays up later than EVER and waits for Father Christmas. At first he thinks he won’t come, but then he hears them: the bells of the sleigh! Louder and louder they get with every house Father Christmas visits, and then the sleigh comes to a screeching halt on Jackson’s roof. A rustling through the chimney and a moment later he is standing face to face with the one and only, with Father Christmas!
Now that Jackson has proof that he really does exist, there is only one question left: How did Father Christmas BECOME who he is? How did his story begin? This Christmas Eve Jackson is in for the adventure of his life.
Words cannot express how much I love this book. A child-friendly retelling of Dickens’ Christmas Carol, this book answers the question how Father Christmas got the job, and why he started to bring children everywhere toys and presents every year on Christmas Day. I love the nostalgic feeling of the story, and how well all the possible questions that may arise are being answered. After reading this book there is no room for doubt left that Father Christmas does exist!
It’s lovely to receive a present. But the good feeling fades after a while, and you just find you want something else. When you give something…and don’t tell anyone…well, that good feeling stays with you for ever.
If you have time for one festive story this Christmas it should be this one. Together with Jackson we embark on the most magical adventure ever, and we learn that people can change, and sometimes do change, and all the possible questions about the who’s and why’s and when’s of Christmas get answered. The backstory of how Father Christmas became Father Christmas might surprise you – it sure did surprise me!
A nostalgic, magical and deep Christmas story everyone should read, young and old and everyone in between. This reads like a classic – a modern-day Christmas classic, and a must-read!
Happy Christmas, everybody, and do let me know what you thought if you pick this one up!
Xoxo
