THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY
Note from the Author:
It’s my father’s dream to retire from his humble career and become Father Christmas. However, he doesn’t want to be the type of Santa you see sitting in malls or at fairs. His goal is to take Christmas back from a commercial setting and bring it into the homes of boys and girls throughout the world. He plans on establishing a non-profit organization wherein he (as Father Christmas) visits and brings gifts to less fortunate children. When he presented this plan to me, he said he really would love to have a book to leave with the kids, one that teaches children that it’s not about the “stuff,” but about how special they are and how they can spread Christmas cheer throughout the year, not just at Christmas time. In addition, because he has 9 grandchildren, he came up with the idea to put them into the story with him, first as elves, but then to have them join Santa’s team as reindeer (since the originals must be getting old by now)!
So, to appease my old man, I started writing. Although I am a busy mother, I was often traveling for work and found that a plane was a great place to write, so this book was written while I was literally “in the air” (much like Santa’s reindeer themselves).
Throughout the writing process, my family and extended family were my biggest advocates and editors, providing amazing support and creative considerations along the way, and what came from this project was something none of us imagined. What started as a fun project for my dad’s Father Christmas organization has developed into something that we now believe should be in every home—it’s a story that reminds children everywhere that they are unique, they have special qualities, and they can use those qualities to create Christmas magic throughout the year.
