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169 reviews for:
The Autobiography of Santa Claus: A Revised Edition of the Christmas Classic
Jeff Guinn
3.62 AVERAGE
169 reviews for:
The Autobiography of Santa Claus: A Revised Edition of the Christmas Classic
Jeff Guinn
3.62 AVERAGE
Why is Christmas so far away!? Excellent story to the history of Santa, Christmas, the North Pole, etc. So fun.
I enjoyed this book at first. I thought it had a nice history and explanation as to how St. Nicholas progressed from a priest to the gift giver now known as Santa Claus. I started to lose it when he brought on violent war lords as his “helpers” rather than any of the countless truly good people there were throughout history he could have. It also seems highly unlikely that he would have been around all these famous people and events coincidentally. I can appreciate that they were trying to share some history along with the story, but even that was rife with inaccuracies. Things like talking about Dickens writing novels and helping A Christmas Carol published as a book. Most of Dickens writings, including A Christmas Carol were not written as nor released as books. They were serialized. He notoriously didn’t know the ending when the first parts were published and came out weekly. Also, the Prize in Economics is not a Nobel Prize. It was added later by an independent group not associated with them. I also didn’t like that the author took inventions that really exist and attributed to people in his book, taking them away from the people who really invented them. Tinted glass, video games, flight, etc.
The whole book just lost me the more and more it went, and it seem, as I skim these reviews, I am not the only one to think this way. It had a strong start and a very poor finish, which is sad, because I really wanted to like this book.
The whole book just lost me the more and more it went, and it seem, as I skim these reviews, I am not the only one to think this way. It had a strong start and a very poor finish, which is sad, because I really wanted to like this book.
Well this is sure a good dose of the magic of Christmas. A beautiful blending of fact and history with a magical tale with added interesting elements. I think I want to read this with the kids every year. Might get the whole set. Thanks for boosting my spirit
This has got to be one of the best books I have ever read. I loved it! Since Santa (or Father Christmas, or whatever you call him) has been around so long - he knows the history of almost the whole world. I loved learning about this holiday and the many traditions that have evolved (and why they did) over the continents and centuries that the world has celebrated Christ's birth. I am purchasing a copy of this and plan on reading it every year (and to my children when they get old enough). I think everyone who celebrates Christmas should read this book.
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"...it's the spirit of the season, being generous to others who don't have much and being grateful for the things we have, that really matters. Dates are, after all, just names and numbers made up by people long, long ago."
"'Each person is so grateful for the gifts, yet they're just small items anyone could acquire at any time of the year,' Felix said quietly to Francis.... 'It's not the value of the gift, but the philosophy of the giving and receiving,' Francis replied. 'It's a hard world, all in all, and to receive a present means someone else cares for you, that you're not alone.'"
"'How do you decide when each child should stop getting presents from Santa?' 'I don't decide that,' I answered. 'It's really decided by the children themselves. You see, there comes a time in the life of every child who truly loves CHristmas when that boy or girl realizes even Santa Claus can't give presents to every young person who hopes for one from me. That's when these children gladly give up what I would have brought them in order for boys and girls somewhere else to receive those gifts. It's call generosity of spirit, Bill.'"
"I'm certain there will be more adventures, just as I'm certain there will always be people who truly love Christmas and who, understanding that the main purpose of the holiday is to celebrate the birth of a child and the love He brought with Him, have a special place in their hearts for Santa Claus, too."
"Don't ever apologize for loving me as much as I love you. After al, for those who don't want to believe in me, no amount of proof would ever be enough. But for friends like you, who believe what they know to be true in their hearts, no further proof is necessary."
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"...it's the spirit of the season, being generous to others who don't have much and being grateful for the things we have, that really matters. Dates are, after all, just names and numbers made up by people long, long ago."
"'Each person is so grateful for the gifts, yet they're just small items anyone could acquire at any time of the year,' Felix said quietly to Francis.... 'It's not the value of the gift, but the philosophy of the giving and receiving,' Francis replied. 'It's a hard world, all in all, and to receive a present means someone else cares for you, that you're not alone.'"
"'How do you decide when each child should stop getting presents from Santa?' 'I don't decide that,' I answered. 'It's really decided by the children themselves. You see, there comes a time in the life of every child who truly loves CHristmas when that boy or girl realizes even Santa Claus can't give presents to every young person who hopes for one from me. That's when these children gladly give up what I would have brought them in order for boys and girls somewhere else to receive those gifts. It's call generosity of spirit, Bill.'"
"I'm certain there will be more adventures, just as I'm certain there will always be people who truly love Christmas and who, understanding that the main purpose of the holiday is to celebrate the birth of a child and the love He brought with Him, have a special place in their hearts for Santa Claus, too."
"Don't ever apologize for loving me as much as I love you. After al, for those who don't want to believe in me, no amount of proof would ever be enough. But for friends like you, who believe what they know to be true in their hearts, no further proof is necessary."
The Autobiography of Santa Claus is told from Santa's point of view. It begins in 280A.D. and brings the reader into the 20th century. Santa tells the evolution of the celebration of Chritmas throughout the world and how the tradition of Santa's giving began.
Santa meets many famous people throughout his life including Marco Polo, Francis of Assisi, and more!
This was a fun book to read. The tale was told with a lot of history. The enjoyed the first half more than the second but I'd still recommend.
#santaclaus #saintnicholas #christmas #autobiography #Santa #kriskringle #papanoel #Weihnachtsmann #fatherchristmas #jeffguinn #texasauthor
Santa meets many famous people throughout his life including Marco Polo, Francis of Assisi, and more!
This was a fun book to read. The tale was told with a lot of history. The enjoyed the first half more than the second but I'd still recommend.
#santaclaus #saintnicholas #christmas #autobiography #Santa #kriskringle #papanoel #Weihnachtsmann #fatherchristmas #jeffguinn #texasauthor
My only complaint is that the people in Santa’s life need to stop picking on him about being large around the middle. Let the man be fat and jolly!!! (A great holiday book, read a chapter for each day in December leading up to Christmas. It’s lovely!!!)
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This book begins wonderfully; I was intrigued and delighted to get historical background on Saint Nicholas and the little tid bits of historical accuracy that were tossed in after the death of historical Saint Nicholas continued to interest me as I paged through the book. However, once the bulk of the history subsides and the "magic" kicks in, I really felt as though the author relied more on the a wistful "I do believe" spirit in his readers rather than plot or character development. Attila the Hun giving up war to join Santa Claus? That's just a little much for me.
Granted, when it comes to literature, I definitely have a very bah-humbug approach. I can definitely see this book as a heart-warming for another less-critical reader who can dismiss my tendency for bah-humbug, and rolls with the magic-is-real, eyes-all-a-glow, Christmas feeling. It explains in a lot of detail each and every aspect of the American Santa's life and throws in inciting historical facts that are fun to quote at holiday parties, and while it doesn't exactly rely on realism, it does do a nice job of tieing up everything with a festive red bow.
For those people looking for a engaging Christmas read, I would say look elsewhere, but for someone who is looking to make cheery holiday library, I would say this is an sound edition.
Granted, when it comes to literature, I definitely have a very bah-humbug approach. I can definitely see this book as a heart-warming for another less-critical reader who can dismiss my tendency for bah-humbug, and rolls with the magic-is-real, eyes-all-a-glow, Christmas feeling. It explains in a lot of detail each and every aspect of the American Santa's life and throws in inciting historical facts that are fun to quote at holiday parties, and while it doesn't exactly rely on realism, it does do a nice job of tieing up everything with a festive red bow.
For those people looking for a engaging Christmas read, I would say look elsewhere, but for someone who is looking to make cheery holiday library, I would say this is an sound edition.