A Father Christmas Story: Being a Tale of how Father Christmas Came to be

By Paul T. Kidd

Ever wondered where the fable of Father Christmas came from? Well, here is an imaginative answer. Set in the forests of the cold north one Yuletide Eve long ago, A Father Christmas Story tells of strange encounters and mysterious events. The tale provides an account, in keeping with the spirit of the festive period, of the first appearance of Father Christmas. It is the story of one man's appointment with destiny and a meeting that changed the world forever. Conveying the true meaning of Christmas, this unusual and engaging book is full of familiar Christmas images. It is a must read for the Christmas season.

The underlying story:
In telling this tale the author has addressed two coexisting aspects of Christmas, represented on the one side by cheerfulness, goodwill, kindness, and compassion, and on the other by a harsh, miserable and cynical view of life. In making this contrast the author not only skilfully manages to highlight the true meaning of Christmas, but also shows how individual perspectives of Christmas are always matters of personal choice, something that applies to life in general, not just to Christmas. And this is also relevant to the deeper meaning: a choice between two very different visions of the future, and the need for humanity to re-engage in the battle against the darker vision of life that is now beginning to consume and destroy modern society, and to extinguish the light in the world. Never, in the relatively short existence of the human species, has there been such a pressing need for salvation—of the whole of human civilisation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paul T. Kidd
• Release date: Nov 12, 2012
• ISBN: 9781901864106

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

A FATHER

CHRISTMAS STORY

Being

A Tale of How Father Christmas Came to Be

by

Paul T Kidd

Cheshire Henbury

Copyright, Paul T Kidd, 2007

Copyright eBook, Paul T Kidd, 2011

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. This eBook edition published in 2012 by Cheshire Henbury at Smashwords.

Original paperback ISBN 978-1-901864-09-0

eBook version ISBN 978-1-901864-10-6

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/afatherchristmasstory

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:

Father Christmas Adventures: Unexpected Tales of Christmas Magic

Preface

It is Christmas Eve. The snow is gently falling outside. White is the surrounding countryside and within, all is snug and warm. Gathered around a blazing fire, everyone is content and full of expectation for the excitement of the coming morning, with all its surprises and delights. Then someone among those assembled asks, Where did the tale of Father Christmas came from? They want to know the origins of the story of a man dressed in red and full of good cheer, driving reindeer across the starry skies, delivering gifts to every child. However, dear reader, this is a question posed by the enquiring logical mind, seeking to know the world as it is. Alas it is the wrong one to ask.

Father Christmas is a precious gift of the imagination, a link to childhood, and on Christmas Eve, when the waiting world is full of anticipation, it is far better to allow fantasy to take hold. So in answer to the question just posed, I say in return, where do you want the tale to come from?

In this little book I have provided an answer in keeping with the Christmas season, one that will awaken the Christmas spirit even in the most cynical, one that I think will please all, regardless of age, and I hope one that will add to your Christmas cheer. The story is primarily aimed at adults, but it can be read aloud to younger children. Now read on, and in doing so, allow yourself, for a brief moment, to revisit the enchantment, the thrill, and the sense of mystery that is so much apart of every child’s Christmas Eve.

Paul T Kidd

December 2006

Contents

Preface

Chapter One: Journey into the Forest

Chapter Two: The Earth Spirit

Chapter Three: The White Angel

Chapter Four: Father Christmas

A FATHER CHRISTMAS STORY

CHAPTER ONE: Journey into the Forest

There was an age, long distant now, when there was no Father Christmas! With respect to this there is no doubt for it is a historical fact. Imagine that, no Father Christmas! Then it all began, one Yuletide Eve, long, long ago in a far away place, deep inside the frozen lands of the north, close to where the vast coniferous forests that are the habitat of the wild brown bear, gives way to the treeless domain of the great white bear. There, in a time before time, before the world was full of clocks that measure the slipping away of every fleeting second, before there were any calendars to reckon the passing of the days, when there was no need for such things, and the passage of time was noted by the turning of the seasons, extraordinary events did unfold. There, in this now distant and long forgotten world, Father Christmas made his first appearance and the magic of Christmas began.

How did this happen? What tale is there to tell? What story?

In answer I say, quite an amazing one, but the telling of it has long since ceased to be a tradition. Much of the fable that is the story of Father Christmas has now largely been forgotten, lost to the modern world, caught up as it is in living for the moment in an endless quest for instant gratification. But not forgotten by all! For there are those that hold on to such things, preserving the details so that the knowledge is not forever lost. Now, how this information came to me is a tale in its own right, and one that will have to wait another time for its telling. On this matter that is all I will say. But of the story that is for the telling, this started innocuously, on a winter’s night that could have been like any other, only it was not!

~

Like a frozen blanket the freezing night air wrapped itself around Nicholas as soon as he stepped out that Yuletide Eve—it was the embrace of death, but only for the novice or the fool. For those who, like Nicholas, lived every long winter’s day with this peril, and knew how to cope, how to avoid the dangers, it was just one more extremely cold night—the sort that chills to the bone in a matter of seconds.

No more gentle a person, no more warm a soul, no more kindly a spirit could this determined enemy try to clasp within its deathly claws.

Too soft, Nicholas, his Father had often said, when, as Nicholas had been inclined to do as a small boy, he had rescued yet another helpless wild creature that had fallen fowl of the deadly world of snow