“You’re right to believe in me,” Saint Nicolas assures us. Old St. Nick, Santa Claus himself, reveals the definitive story, through seventeen centuries of Christmas lore, of how he came to be known as the all-knowing, all gift-giving man from the North Pole! Listen as this enchanting holiday treasure recalls Santa’s quest for universal gift-giving, spreading his message of kindness to countless others so they, too, could share his belief in the goodness of giving! Children, parents and entire families will delight in each entertaining chapter of this holiday classic—one for each cold December night leading up to Christmas!
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"This is an explanation of how Santa Claus came to be. It answers any questions you might have about Santa's toymaking history, his helpers, reindeer, etc. There are many references to historical figures and events all the way back to the birth of Jesus. It's a great book to read in December! "
— Mary (4 out of 5 stars)
“Where exactly did Santa Claus come from? How did he meet Mrs. Claus? Who named the reindeer? We’ve all asked these questions and a million more, and Jeff Guinn uses a wonderful mix of scholarship, fantasy, folklore, and faith to answer them all…A fine way for the whole family to receive a dash of history and humor relating to holiday cheer.”
— AudioFile" Just some fun for Christmas. "
— Keith, 2/19/2014" I have learned a great deal about history from a totally different perspective than the average history book. This is a delightful story about one of the world's most beloved people...Santa Claus, and I BELIEVE "
— Linda, 2/17/2014" I found this book quite interesting merely for the fact of all the history it presented. I struggle with having Santa be a part of our Christmas for two reasons. One, I don't like lying to my kids. Two, it is so easy for Santa to become the focus of the holiday rather than the birth of Jesus. Some of the information in this book really did ease some of that struggle for me. I found some of it a bit much and other parts dragged for me. I would still recommend this book as a good read though. "
— Cheryl, 2/16/2014" A MUST read! Should be required reading! "
— Laura, 2/4/2014" This was the book club pick for this month, meant to get us all in the holiday spirit. And it was fun, especially for learning about when and where many Christmas traditions originated. The actual story of Saint Nick was a little hard to swallow (seriously, his cast of helpers got completely ridiculous), but it was a light read and appropriate for the festive season. "
— Lauren, 2/4/2014" Super easy read, but a really fun book to check out around christmas. It has a lot of historically accurate events, which makes it really interesting. "
— Tristine, 2/2/2014" Interesting...sort of clever...but generally just a nice story about Santa Claus. "
— Jared, 1/31/2014" I enjoyed most of the history in this book but found that most of the characters were flat. "
— Lisa, 1/19/2014" This book is an incredible mix of historical facts and a great imagination! The spirit of Christmas is incredibly express through this book. "
— Alissa, 12/23/2013" Had some interesting information about how all the traditions of Christmas came to be, but it wasn't really my favorite. I'd say it's worth reading once. "
— Nicki, 12/8/2013" The historical facts were good but it is hard to believe the characters joining Santa, especially Atilla the Hun. If you take it as a light Christmas book and look at the historical facts, this is not a bad book. "
— Hillary, 11/30/2013" Not the best Christmas book I've ever read, but it was different and interesting, and explains a lot of the Christmas traditions and how they came about. I'm glad I read it, but it's not one that I would probably read again... "
— Rachel, 11/29/2013" I love this book! I re-read it this Christmas season and will probably pull it out again in a few years. I like how the author uses world history and St. Nicholas legends and traditions from around the world to create an "autobiography." "
— Mary, 11/28/2013" Really interesting narrative of the Santa Claus story. You read a chapter a night throughout December - finishing on Christmas Eve. Lots of history and interesting facts - and some interesting non-facts (Atilla the Hun works for Santa!) "
— Michelle, 11/13/2013" Very hard to follow and confusing, but an overall good story "
— Tina, 7/24/2013" I knew he was real. He is alive and well at the North Pole with Amelia Earhart and Leonardo da Vinci. "
— Julianne, 6/6/2013" I really enjoyed this...read it a few years ago. I loved all of the historical references to how the Santa Claus story started and how it has gotten passed down many generations. Very interesting and inspiring book and good one to read as we go into the Christmas season! "
— Sharon, 10/12/2012" A perfect read for the entire family on a cold winter's night. I love the intertwining of myth and legend. "
— Carrie, 8/1/2012" The writing was mediocre and the story itself moved pretty quickly (meaning it kind of lacked depth) but overall, I really enjoyed it! "
— Sarah, 6/30/2012" Loved this book. I enjoyed learning about the history of Santa Claus. He is more real to me. A must read. "
— Carol, 4/13/2012" I loved this! A great Christmas tradition. "
— Shelby, 1/15/2012" This is a great Christmas story - very imaginative and an all-around enjoyable book. "
— Aimee, 11/12/2011" I could take most of this book, until Attila the Hun joined Santa's crew. This book falls under "really lame." "
— Mary, 10/31/2011" I endured to the end because someone recommended it to me. It couldn't have been less of a page turner. "
— Holly, 8/28/2011" Really, really boring. Too much of a Forest Gump thing with history. "
— Desiree, 8/21/2011" I really enjoyed this book. The author did a great job of blending history with the story of Santa Claus. Great historical fiction, it was a fun read. I'm almost considering rating it four star.s "
— Lesli, 8/15/2011" A MUST READ for anyone who is doubting the existance of Santa. You could read this book to older kids. It explains how Santa can still exist in modern times. A GREAT BOOK! "
— Kathy, 5/5/2011" Enjoyable, but light. Did not finish it, but did enjoy the first chapters very much. "
— Carole, 3/28/2011" nice marriage of fact and fiction. "
— Dave, 3/15/2011" This was a cute read. Overall I would say its best read a chapter at a time to kids. Conveniently 24 chapters that are all fairly short and interesting little stories of Santa's adventures. "
— Malina, 3/13/2011" It was okay. Just okay. ... "
— Jasmith, 3/4/2011" 85th: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SANTA CLAUS by Jeff Guinn<br/>Trivia Winner - Roberta<br/><br/>~COVE OPINION: C, Okay story "
— The, 2/11/2011" For the most part...I enjoyed it. I loved how the author explained history as Santa aged, but the historical figures who joined Santa as his 'elves' was kind of weird. <br/>I would recommend it as a good holiday read. "
— Debbie, 1/16/2011" Cute and magical xmas story. "
— Audrey, 1/3/2011" I really liked the beginning of the book up until about page 80 or so. But then it got so boring! You couldn't get attached to any of the characters. The author did too much "telling" and not enough "showing" in his writing. "
— Rickie, 1/1/2011" Started out good, lots of interesting facts about how Christmas came to be. Towards the end it just got to be too much and I lost interest. Had I not been listening to it on a trip, I doubt I would have finished it. "
— Ryan, 1/1/2011" Fun read. I enjoyed the history mixed in with the story. I'm such a Santa Believer after reading this book. How can you not? "
— Jennifer, 12/30/2010" What a great Christmas book. Santa telling the story how it all began. He goes through 17 centuries meeting historical figures along the way. "
— Kim, 12/28/2010" this was a VERY good book that reeled me in and it was really good filled with historical fiction and nonfiction facts, however I got bored one-third of the way through it because it was they were just sitting and doing the same things... It was a good christmas read though. "
— Addy, 12/25/2010" I think I expected more fluff and not so much history. My brain is fried, so fluff was what I was looking for. At a different time, I might have gotten into the history more. "
— Rachel, 12/18/2010Jeff Guinn is the bestselling author of several books of fiction and nonfiction, including The Last Gunfight and Go Down Together, which was a finalist for an Edgar Award in 2010. Formerly an award-winning investigative journalist and now a frequent guest on national radio and television programs, he lives in Fort Worth, Texas.
John H. Mayer, author and Earphones Award–winning narrator, is a character actor whose voice has been heard on numerous commercials, animated programs, audiobooks, and narrations including E! Entertainment’s Celebrity Profiles. He was a five-year member of the Groundlings comedy theater company in Los Angeles. He is also the co-author of Radio Rocket Boy, an award-winning short film.