Father Christmas Adventures: Unexpected Tales of Christmas Magic

By Paul T. Kidd

In the best tradition of Christmas stories, Father Christmas Adventures provides a celebration of the festive season, while also critiquing contemporary society. Consisting of three short tales, all involving Father Christmas, this book delivers fables with unexpected twists and encounters, resulting in a degree of novelty that is rarely seen in this genre of fiction. Starting with a light-hearted account of what happens to parents who do not believe in Father Christmas, the book then offers a story where Father Christmas shows his concern for humanity's often damaging attitudes towards the natural world. Both tales hint at darker forces at work in the world, but this darkness comes to the fore in the final story, which cleverly links Father Christmas to one of the wise men in the nativity, while also creating an entanglement with an earlier work by the author (A Father Christmas Story). Father Christmas Adventures is a festive season delight that will truly stir the Christmas spirit and leave the reader reflecting on the author's crystal clear message concerning the urgent need for all peoples of the Earth to re-engage in saving humanity from itself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paul T. Kidd
• Release date: Nov 12, 2012
• ISBN: 9781901864137

Paul T. Kidd

Paul T Kidd is an author and writer, and an independent researcher and policy analyst. Paul is engaged in a process of working to redefine the book publishing business and has taken a conscious decision not to follow the traditional route to publication. Instead he is seeking to explore new business models for authors, while also innovating through the style and technology. Working with organisations such as Amazon is a central part of this experiment in creating a new publishing paradigm. More information about all these matters, as well as his central muses, can be found on his web site: www.cheshirehenbury.com. Below is a summary of his writing experience and purpose.Paul is a very experienced writer having, since taking up writing in the 1980s, undertaken a significant amount of technical writing and copy editing. He has written: newspaper and magazine articles; research papers; reports, chapters for edited books; manuals; leaflets and brochures; press releases; speeches; scripts; management reports; and books. Paul has produced work for the Financial Times, the European Commission and leading imprints such as Addison Wesley. He started writing fiction in 2001 and has written a number of novels. In his technology and engineering related work, Paul addresses topics related to the development of research strategy and policy, mostly connected with sustainable development. He is working on a number of non-fiction books in this subject area.His insights into and his concerns about the mind-sets of many scientists, engineers, technologists, policymakers and business people, and their continued reliance on the application of the thinking and approaches that have led the world to its present predicament, has motivated him to begin to address these matters in his works of fiction. Through the use of fiction he aims to open the eyes of the citizens of the world to the inevitable outcome of the path that humanity is currently following, and to show that there is an alternative road; one that is built on reinventing science, engineering, technology and free enterprise; one that leads all to a much happier world and lifestyle.Too many people have been misled into thinking that there is no alternative to our present path of development. To question science, engineering and technology is to commit a heresy. Within Paul's works therefore, you will see an exploration of matters that relate to choice in the way humanity lives, and a bringing to the fore of the spiritual side of life (in the widest sense of this term - not necessarily religious), which is increasingly being pushed aside in favour of a materialistic and greed-driven (what is euphemistically referred to as Economic Growth) civilization. The result is a soulless world where what matters most is money and possessions, but which is, as most people deep within them know, unsustainable.People need to start thinking and talking more about these matters and to look to move human civilization forward instead of remaining in the time warp in which they are now trapped. Watch out for future publications!

Book preview

FATHER

CHRISTMAS ADVENTURES

Unexpected Tales of Christmas Magic

by

Paul T Kidd

Cheshire Henbury

Copyright, Paul T Kidd, 2012

Copyright eBook, Paul T Kidd, 2012

Paul T Kidd asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of this book. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, for any purpose without the prior knowledge and written consent of the copyright owner and the publisher, or as expressly permitted by law, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics rights organisations. The events and characters depicted in this book are entirely fictional and any resemblance to any person living or dead is entirely coincidental.

Paperback version first published in 2012 by Cheshire Henbury. eBook edition published in 2012 by Cheshire Henbury at Smashwords.

Original paperback ISBN 978-1-901864-12-0

eBook version ISBN 978-1-901864-13-7

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Cheshire Henbury E-mail: [e-mail]

Web site: http://www.cheshirehenbury.com/fatherchristmasadventures

Smashwords Edition, Licence Notes

This eBook edition is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. The eBook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return t to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Cheshire Henbury’s pricing policy for eBooks is to offer this format at significantly lower prices than that applied to physical books (where this is possible).

To Judith, Lucy, Tara and Dale

Also by Paul T Kidd:

A Father Christmas Story: Being a Tale of How Father Christmas Came to Be

Preface

I offer here three short stories in the hope that they will raise some Christmas cheer and add to your festive feelings. But remember, there is a serious side to Christmas, and within these tales you will also find that which will inspire reflection. Christmas is, at its core, a Christian festival, but what you will discover in these pages transcends Christianity to speak directly to the souls of all the peoples of the world, regardless of what they may believe. This is especially so for the final tale in this book.

Paul T Kidd

July 2012

Contents

Preface

William’s First Christmas

Father Christmas and the Wolf

Encounter with a Wise Man

William’s First Christmas

Let me start where I should commence, that is to say, at the beginning. And to open my tale I will state most plainly and emphatically that Christmas is every child’s right—it cannot be given, it cannot be taken away. Anyone who tries to deny a child their Christmas had better take heed of my story and be very, very careful, for who knows what might happen to them! And it is what ensued for two adults, parents of course, that I want to convey to you through this fable.

I must also declare, again in the most ardent way I can muster, that each and every child loves Christmas—the excitement, the anticipation, the happiness, and of course, the presents. And, as you are aware, all children know about Father Christmas and all adore him dearly. Each boy and girl also has a Mother and a Father who believes in Father Christmas, at least this is what I had thought. But once upon a time there was a boy, called William, whose parents did not believe in Father Christmas! William’s Mum and Dad did not celebrate Christmas at all! Unbelievable! How silly they were! But how sad for William, that he had such foolish parents. Poor William!

William had good grounds to be sad, for Christmas was never seen in his home. He did of course receive presents, but he had never experienced the wonder, on a Christmas Day morning, which comes from the anticipation of what all those enticing parcels might contain, before ripping away the gift paper to discover the delights within. This is because William’s gifts were never wrapped up in all that attractive festive paper that adds so much mystery to Christmas. I say it again, poor William!

The sight of a glittering Christmas tree, with intriguing and brightly decorated parcels nestled under its green branches, and a bulging Christmas stocking hanging by the fireplace, all enticing and inviting, were sights that William had never known. For, not only were his presents never wrapped in festive paper, but also his home had never seen a Christmas tree. Oh how he longed to have one; to see it dressed with coloured lights and pretty tinsel, and to see the sparkling baubles with the Christmas tree lights reflected in them. Oh to experience the smell of fresh pine needles.

All these Christmas enchantments William had never known and probably would never have, if Father Christmas had not decided to act to help poor William. William did not know it yet, but he was that year, about to have for the first time a real Christmas and all that goes with it.

It was the day of Christmas Eve. About lunchtime it had started to snow heavily. Within a few hours all was white. The snow, cold but soft, covered