Grandfather Christmas

William Blackburn is a professor of English at the University of
Calgary.

This is the story of Harry, a jolly old man with a splendiferous banner
of a white beard, whose favorite time of year is, of course, Christmas,
when a department store employs him for a few weeks to play Santa
Clause. “But the days after Christmas are rather sad for Harry. . . .
Nobody needs a Father Christmas once Christmas is over! Harry feels
lonely and unwanted.” The rest of the book deals with Harry’s
attempts to fill in his days—attempts all ludicrously complicated by
his beard—until Christmas eventually returns and Harry is once more
“the happiest man in the world.”

This is a fine book for young children, and its easy humor and
whimsical, colored illustrations should guarantee its widespread appeal.
The good visual gags are often reminiscent of Edward Lear, and many
adult readers will also be reminded of the strong undertow of melancholy
that characterizes Lear’s humor. Best of all is the author’s
lightness of touch. He never becomes maudlin or preachy, and maintains
an exquisite balance between explicit hilarity and implicit melancholy.
Harry never gives in to despair and the book therefore offers a
sensitive portrait of resolute old age—a kind of portrait altogether
too rare in most contemporary works for children.