Five more days until Christmas. The last few days before Christmas always have a soft twinge of anticipation about them. There is something special in the air even amidst bad weather, or last minute shopping, and all of the stressful preparations we put on ourselves. That childhood anticipation just doesn’t seem to ever go away thankfully. Touching on that feeling, comes a story with elegant poetic writing and breathtakingly saturated images about Santa awaiting and preparing for the magical moment around Christmas to arrive. It is The Christmas Magic by Lauren Thompson, pictures by Jon J. Muth, 2009.
Way up north, where the reindeer roam the story tells of a snug little house in which Santa Claus lives. As the holiday season approaches, Santa feels a tingling in his beard and he begins his Christmas preparation for soon, he knows, the Christmas magic will be here. He rounds up the reindeer, polishes his clothes and the big red sleigh, and carefully checks every toy and pairs it with just the right name. All is ready and he awaits the moment the magic arrives, the kind of magic that makes reindeer fly.
There is hardly a better word to describe this book than magical. The combination of Lauren Thompson’s lyrical text with Jon J. Muth’s stunning paintings is a beautiful masterpiece. This is the kind of story that makes me love the idea and story of Santa Claus. It is not hokey or trite, yet it has humor and joy written throughout it. It makes me want to whisper the words while I wait with Santa.
I love a quote by Jon J. Muth on the back jacket flap when he first read Thompson’s manuscript, “This is the Santa I know in my heart.” The duo’s creation is the Santa that childhood dreams are made of. A Santa who is dear and tender, who cares for the special Northern reindeer, who smiles as he reads each child’s name aloud and finds their perfect gift. This is a special story to prepare for a holiday that we commercially strip of enjoyment. It is a book that brings back the childhood wonder and invites every reader to excitedly await and look for the Christmas magic that “has come at last, as it always has, and always will.”
Follow along our book adventure at 25 Days of Christmas in 2013.
Three Books a Night 