How Santa came to be

I absolutely love Christmasfilms and at the last count I had nearly 130 with another 100 or so on my wish list. I also love to read Christmas books, but for some reason I never seem to find nice ones. Until a few years ago.

My sister and I were on holiday in Ireland in 2005 and we both love books. If we see a bookstore, however small, we will enter. And in this small bookshop in Clifden (Connemara, Co. Galway) we found a book. Nickolai of the North by Lucy Daniel Raby. It was a children's book, but it looked great and we both wanted it. There was just one slight problem though: they only had one copy! My sister came away with the book and I had to wait until after I had returned home and could order it online.

Now, I bet you have been wondering where Santa comes from. The flying reindeer, the elves, the delivery of the presents in one night? This book explains all. Where he grew up, how he lived his life and what happened to make him Santa. It's also a story of good and evil, a story of what will happen if our greed gets out of control, but most of all it's a story of love.

There are 25 chapters in the book, which would make it a perfect book to read to children: a chapter a day! It would be appropiate for children about 8 years and over (in my opinion), because of some scarier moments (or cliffhangers if you do read a chapter a day). But it's also perfect for adults, although I wonder if you will have more restraint than me in only reading one chapter a day. I've never been able to...