The Flying Santa

The true story of how a 1929 pilot was saved by the light of a lighthouse and the spirit of Christmas giving.

Santa Claus has a problem. How can he fly through the sky and deliver presents to all the children of the world? With the help of his friends, Santa Claus solves the problem and becomes a 'Flying Santa.'

When the reindeer get bad colds, Santa Claus wonders who will be able to pull his sleigh on Christmas Eve.

Christmas is two days away, but Frances and her little brother Peter, who recently moved with their father to a lighthouse on an isolated island, fear that they will have no treats, no music, and no visit from Santa. Includes facts about the Flying Santa Service. Full color.

Three kids venture to the North Pole to help Santa defeat an army of evil elves in this holiday classic from the brilliant mind that brought you The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. Art Atchinson Aimesworth—inventor, crime fighters, and all-around whiz kid—journeys north with his sister, Esther, and his pal Spaulding, by special invitation from Santa himself. Why did Santa call them to the North Pole? Art wants to know. But when Esther is taken by the Queen of the Dark Elves, Art must put his questions aside and save his sister. This reissue of William Joyce’s epic Christmas adventure now comes complete with lift-the-flap letters from Santa himself!

How does snow form? Why are we always depressed after Christmas? How does Santa manage to deliver all those presents in one night? (He has, in fact, little over two ten-thousandths of a second to get between each of the 842 million households he must visit.) This book contains information on how drugs might make us see flying reindeer, how pollution is affecting the shape of Christmas trees, and the intriguing correlation between the length of our Christmas card list and brain size.

Originally published: New York: Scholastic, 2007.

Christmas, as we celebrate it today, is a relatively recent invention. Our Puritan forefathers would not have thought of reveling in the birth of Christ-and frowned, or worse, on those who did. It was only in the nineteenth century, as the United States emerged as a nation, that so many of the traditions we take for granted as "Christmas" established themselves. So many originated in New England that, from sea to sea, American Christmas observances seem to smell of pine and fir, and even some in the South think of snow and sleighs when December 25 comes around. Christmas, writes McGuiggan, "is a cozy living room with a blazing fire, a piping mug of cider or hot chocolate and a plate of warm, spicy gingerbread boys and girls. It is woodlands of fragrant pine and an evening of crystalline air with a hint of wood smoke. It is the quaint, simple beauty of a town green and a white-steepled church aglow with candlelight. It is mittens and scarves, skating, sledding, and sleigh rides. And, most of all, it is snow." That, at least, is America's vision of a New England Christmas today. But how did all this come about? Here are some of the more than fifty holiday traditions traced and described in this fascinating treasury: Charles Follen and the Christmas Tree Church; Flying Santa; Silent Santa; Rudolph, the Most Famous Reindeer; A Magical Ride on the Polar Express; Louis Prang, Father of the American Christmas Card; Candlelight Strolls at Old Sturbridge Village and Strawbery Banke; A Norman Rockwell Christmas; and Captain James Magee's Holiday Party. Over 100 period illustrations, including a 16-page full-color insert, make this joyous book a family keepsake to be treasured by and forgenerations.

It's Christmas Eve, and Snap the sugar glider is practising his moves. He wants to be the greatest flyer in the rainforest, but the other animals just laugh at him. When Santa makes an emergency landing, all the animals get a chance to audition to fill in for Comet, who is injured. Is this Snap's chance to shine?A heart-warming story full of Christmas magic, from the team that brought you the CBCA shortlisted book Bat Vs Poss.'This delightful tale is an ideal stocking filler.' - The Herald Sun

It was Christmas Eve, a very exciting time for Santa and the reindeer but something went wrong. Santa was having problems getting all the presents delivered to the children on his list. Read how Matthew and Sprite came to the rescue, saving Christmas!