It all started when Jeff Guinn was assigned to write a piece full of little-known facts about Christmas for his paper, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. A few months later, he received a call from a gentleman who told him that he showed the story to an important friend who didn’t think much of it. And who might that be? asked Jeff. The next thing he knew, he was whisked off to the North Pole to meet with this “very important friend,” and the rest is, well, as they say, history. An enchanting holiday treasure, The Autobiography of Santa Claus combines solid historical fact with legend to deliver the definitive story of Santa Claus. And who better to lead us through seventeen centuries of Christmas magic than good ol’ Saint Nick himself? Families will delight in each chapter of this new Christmas classic—one per each cold December night leading up to Christmas!

An entertaining, often surprising look at the life of the world’s most influential fictional character. He is the embodiment of charity and generosity, a creation of mythology, a tool of clever capitalists. The very idea of him is enduring and powerful. Santa Claus was born in early-nineteenth-century America, but his family tree goes back seven hundred years to Saint Nicholas, patron saint of children. Intervening generations were shaggy and strange — whip-wielding menaces to naughty boys and girls. Yet as the raucous, outdoor, alcohol-fuelled holiday gave way to a more domestic, sentimental model, a new kind of gift-bringer was called for — a loveable elf, still judgmental but far less threatening. In this engaging social and cultural history, Gerry Bowler examines the place of Santa Claus in history, literature, advertising, and art. He traces his metamorphosis from a beardless youth into a red-suited peddler. He reveals the lesser-known aspects of the gift-bringer’s life — Santa’s involvement with social and political causes of all stripes (he enlisted on the Union side in the American Civil War), his starring role in the movies and as adman for gun-makers and insurance companies. And he demolishes the myths surrounding Santa Claus and Coca-Cola. Santa Claus: A Biography will stand as the classic work on the long-lived and multifarious Mr. Claus.

This follow-up to Jeff Guinn's bestselling holiday favorites The Autobiography of Santa Claus and How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas takes readers on a sleigh ride through the history of Christmas in America that lands smack-dab in 2006, as a new reality TV show threatens to destroy the true spirit of Christmas. This third installment in Jeff Guinn's bestselling Christmas Chronicles series finds Santa facing perhaps the biggest challenge of his career. As Santa himself relates in this delightful holiday read, the trouble began in 1841, when a Philadelphia merchant named J.W. Parkinson hired a neighbor to dress as Kris Kringle in order to lure shoppers into his dry-goods store. Much to Santa's chagrin, it's been pretty much downhill since. It seems everybody wants a piece of Christmas, and through the years, it has gotten worse—to the point that not a Christmas can go by without phony Santas posing on street corners across the country. But when, in 2006, it's announced that a new reality TV show called The Great Santa Search will feature a competition to find the "real" St. Nicholas, Santa knows it's time to step in! With all the rich historical detail and glorious Christmas cheer that made The Autobiography of Santa Claus and How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas treasured family favorites, The Great Santa Search is destined to become yet another Christmas classic from Jeff Guinn.

It all started when Jeff Guinn was assigned to write a piece full of little-known facts about Christmas for his paper, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. A few months later, he received a call from a gentleman who told him that he showed the story to an important friend who didn’t think much of it. And who might that be? asked Jeff. The next thing he knew, he was whisked off to the North Pole to meet with this “very important friend,” and the rest is, well, as they say, history. An enchanting holiday treasure, The Autobiography of Santa Claus combines solid historical fact with legend to deliver the definitive story of Santa Claus. And who better to lead us through seventeen centuries of Christmas magic than good ol’ Saint Nick himself? Families will delight in each chapter of this new Christmas classic—one per each cold December night leading up to Christmas!

In How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas, Jeff Guinn combines solid historical fact with glorious legend to deliver another heartwarming holiday book for the whole family. It's 1620 and Mrs. Claus's dear husband is off in the New World planting the seeds of what will become a glorious Christmas tradition. Meanwhile, Mrs. Claus has chosen to stay in England, where the first signs of a dangerous threat to Yuletide cheer are in evidence. The Puritans have gained control of Parliament and appear determined to take all the fun out of Christmas. But Mrs. Claus knows that it's time for serious action when, in 1647, a law is passed by Parliament that actually punishes anyone who celebrates Christmas. Using as its springboard the actual events of a day in 1647 when ten thousand peasants marched through the streets of Canterbury demanding their right to celebrate a beloved holiday, How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas is rich in historical detail, adventure, and plain ol' Christmas fun.

This enchanting story of St. Nicholas is based on historical facts and laced with the magic of legend told from the perspective of Santa himself. Filled with details of Nicholas's life, the beginnings of his gift giving, the expansion of his holiday calling, and more, this book is for everyone who loves the year's most special holiday. Illustrations.

In three holiday novels, Santa Claus recounts his adventures, his wife describes how she protected the holiday from the Puritans, and Santa discusses his experiences competing on a reality show that was looking for the "real" Santa.