Santa's Delight by Marisa Laycock

Santas's Delight by Marisa Laycock
Buy Santa's Delight by Marisa Laycock at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: For Sharing
Reviewer: Sue Magee
Summary: A gentle and non-preachy reminder that Christmas is about more than getting and that there are others who give selflessly who deserve to be remembered. Recommended.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 32	Date: December 2009
Publisher: Matador
ISBN: 978-1848762688
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There's only one more night to go before Christmas Eve and Santa knows that his preparations are going well. The reindeer are fed and strong and the elves were just finishing wrapping all the presents. He's done the planning and was grateful for the different time zones. But Mrs Santa knew that there was something worrying her husband and gently she persuaded him to talk about it. He was worried about all the people in our communities who help so much, from the doctors and nurses, rescue services and the armed forces who are on duty over Christmas.

And what about the people who bring the homeless in from the cold and serve them a hot Christmas dinner and a Christmas pud?!

He obviously felt very strongly about this and even when Mrs Santa pointed out that the people who help also celebrated Christmas in their own way, he still pondered. Then, quite suddenly the answer came to him…

No, I'm not going to tell you what it was, but Santa had an ingenious solution which would give all those people who do so much – and give up so much – for us the recognition which they deserve. The reindeer were ready – and off he went leaving a lot of people with a glow.

I'm a curmudgeon about Christmas because the message has been lost. It's about getting – be it presents or rather too merry – and spending. We forget what's important and Santa's Delight is a gentle, non-preachy reminder that there are some people we should never forget. It's not about spending money, but about remembering and recognising what we owe to them. It's good to bring children up with this message, but it's also one which we could all do with refreshing in our minds.

It's a lovely story, told in a humorous way which had me smiling. I loved the relationship between Mr and Mrs Santa – affectionate and caring with an underlying sense of responsibility – and I hope that it's one many children will recognise from home. I really had to keep turning the pages to find out what happened and the illustrations by Jan Legge complemented the text perfectly – although I would like to have seen more of them.

It's not just a book for those children whose parents who are perhaps working – or even away – at Christmas, although they will love Santa's idea. It's a book for everyone who has reason to be grateful to others at any time of the year.

I'd like to thank the author for sending a copy to the Bookbag. It's a gorgeous idea.

To go with this book we'd like to recommend a Christmas classic: The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg.

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You can read more book reviews or buy Santa's Delight by Marisa Laycock at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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