Classic Biography Of Santa Rediscovered
In Time For The Holidays
Nearly a century ago an accomplished magazine and newspaper reporter, Sarah Addington, wrote a special story for the popular magazine, The Ladies’ Home Journal. It revealed the backstory of how Santa Claus came to be. It was published as a book in 1922 but the classic eventually disappeared.
Available at Amazon on :- www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Lived-Pudding-Lane
Now for the first time in years, a new generation will get to appreciate the creative and insightful tale as Pamela McColl’s Grafton & Scratch Publishers has re-released this charming book, The Boy Who Lived In Pudding Lane (October 2017).
“Families and children will really love the words and illustrations in this beautiful book,” says McColl. “The message is timeless, meaningful, and inspiring.”
Indeed, she knows about holiday classics. Five years ago she published a unique version of ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas. She released it with a few edits to the words and pictures, removing references to Santa smoking a pipe. The controversial smoke-free Santa was embraced by many and received national media coverage on The View, The Colbert Show, The Today Show and Live with Kelly and Michael. It also was featured in USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, Vanity Fair, National Review, and the New York Post.
So why did Addington pen the Boy Who Lived in Pudding Lane?
“To shed light, then, on the life of a popular idol, shamefully neglected by historians, is the purpose of this little study, which has been carefully and scientifically compiled from original sources,” she wrote in 1921.
“This brief biography of a great hero, Santa Claus, is entered upon with the reverence due to the nature of the undertaking, and with the timidity that necessarily arises from the fact that it is breaking of new ground.
“Just why historians have, in all epic accounts, ignored probably the greatest international figure that ever existed, is a mystery to the author, for whom the antecedents, early life, and young manhood of Santa Claus have always been immensely fascinating. Nevertheless, the life of this great man has never been written.”
The original illustrations by Gertrude A. Kay have been restored and enlivened for the delight of children of all ages by award-winning designer Elisa Gutierez.
We come to discover:
• Santa’s tradition of giving toys to children on Christmas Eve began when Santa was just a boy.
• Santa weds Bessie, the niece of the candlestick-maker; the King and Queen attend the wedding.
• Santa, the son of a poor baker, used to give away the sweet cookies from his father’s shop.
• His wife helped him make toys and candy “until she said she thought she’d turn in to candy.”
• Santa’s mother made 12 red suits for him when he left to work in the North Pole, “each one a bit larger than the former one, for it was supposed that Santa would get just a little stouter each year.”
• Mother Goose lobbied the King on Santa’s behalf and the King agreed to financially sponsor his toy-making, in part because he “feels very much indebted to you for teaching the Queen to make tarts.” But he had to relocate to the North Country.
• Santa was always roly-poly, even as a boy.
• The first Christmas Santa displayed his talents was when he made toys for his siblings — two sets of twin boys, or as his mom called them – “the batches.”
“Addington wrote The Boy Who Lived in Pudding Lane to satisfy her curiosity, for she had to know where Santa Claus lived as a young boy and what his family was like, and how Santa got started in the enchanting pastime of toy-making and gift-giving,” says McColl. Thanks to Grafton & Scratch Publishers, this charming 1922 edition is now back in print for new generations to enjoy.
The Boy Who Lived in Pudding Lane by Sarah Addington, illustrations by Gertrude A. Kay, Grafton & Scratch Publishers, (October 2017 hardcover with color illustrations, 96 glossy pages, $22.95, ISBN: 978-1-927979-26-6.
