I’m getting in to the holiday spirit in a bookish way.  Books about Santa and Christmas are my favourite way to get ready for the holidays, for the onslaught of family, friends, laughter, and let’s be honest, stress.  There are many authors who can just completely capture the essence of Christmas and Matt Haig is one of my favourites. I had really wanted to read his Father Christmas trilogy last December, however was too late with my library holds and just couldn’t get it done.  I made sure this year to put all three books on hold extra early so I would be able to immerse myself in Northern Finland, Victorian London, and of course Elfhelm.

Matt Haig doesn’t make the story of Father Christmas all candy canes and chocolate coins, there is struggle, loss, and more importantly hope in all three stories.  

We start Father Christmas’ journey in A Boy Called Christmas where we meet young Nikolas and discover the path he takes to becoming Father Christmas.  Through strife and perseverance and a heart of gold, Nikolas becomes Father Christmas and finds his true self with the help of a reindeer named Blitzen and two elves, Father Topo and Little Noosh.  

In The Girl Who Saved Christmas we are introduced to Amelia Wishart, the first child, and we discover hope; hope of the most fervent kind. The kind of hope to make the Northern Lights shine most brilliantly and the kind of hope to allow Father Christmas to stop time.

Finally, in Father Christmas and I we follow Amelia’s journey as she begins her life living among the elves of Elfhelm.

There is a brilliant underlying theme of acceptance in all of these books, acceptance of others who may seem strange and different to you.  There is of course the message of hope and we can learn how hope can fuel us through the hardest of circumstances. We also catch the message pf perseverance and belief in the impossible.  When we can believe in the impossible we can make the most joyful things happen.

There is conflict in the form of the grouchy old elf Father Vodol, constantly trying to undermine Father Christmas and ruin all of the hope in Elfhelm.  There is humour in the form of Blitzen, a rather naughty reindeer who has some pretty awful toilet habits. Dubbed as a mixture of Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket, you will love these stories, perfect for sharing with children and adults of all ages.