The Christmas Chronicles (2024)

I Loved this book. I think the reason that I loved it SO much was ALL of the history! It made the history FUN and accessible, and as I am a SERIOUS history buff, it was right down my alley! I read it aloud to my kids--and while it's very clean and a great story, I think it was just a little above their level due to the sheer amount of history presented! In a few years, I'll revisit this one with my kids and use it as an extracurricular history text! :) I loved watching 'Santa' become friends with SO many amazing historical figures (Leonardo Davinci, King Arthur, Attila the Hun, Benjamin Franklin, Theodore Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, just to name a few)...and I also loved how he told his story in such a believable way that you wonder...could this REALLY ACTUALLY be an autobiography? Does Santa exist? Because after reading this, it sure makes sense to me....

Completely underwhelmed by this story. It was a doozy to finish and thankfully I am done. I know that this was supposed to be a work of fiction but, I really had to stretch my imagination for this book. It was once said that a great writer can make a work of fiction appear to be truth; well that doesn't apply here.

The Christmas Chronicles definitely added something to our holiday season. The chapters are the right length to read out loud and the voice is warm. We do need magic in the world. Any kind of magic will do. Can't wait till December 1, 2010 when we will start reading again.

Of all Christmas fantasies, Jeff Guinn's three-and-a-half-volume "Christmas Chronicles," which purports to be the autobiography of Santa Claus from ancient Lycia to the present day, has to be one of the strangest. Mixing historical fiction, fantasy, satire, children's literature and a more adult infotainment style, Guinn creates a Forrest Gump effect by adding Nicholas/Santa and his wife Layla to a series of major historical moments, from the Puritan civil war in England to American Idol's rise in popularity.

This is a lot to pull off even with the most delicate touches. It doesn't always click into place as well as intended, but Guinn's obvious love of all things Christmas, and willingness not to take himself too seriously as an author, make this an appealing Christmas treat for the whole family.

A charming collection of Santa stories, containing his origins and history down through the centuries, as told by the man himself. When I realized this was three separate books in one, I balked and thought maybe I should have just picked one for this Christmas. However, they really are best read as one continuous history.
I was not much of a Santa Claus fan growing up. I suppose, in the terminology of The Great Santa Search, I was a "never." For me, Santa just equaled commercialization and took away from the true spirit of Christmas. Reading these endearing tales, I realized how wrong I was. He's not American, though I often stereotyped him that way as well. He belongs to the world, anywhere that welcomes and celebrates Christmas. Frankly, these stories were an education as well as a nice holiday read. I loved how much they tied in with my other Christmas-themed reads this past year, all very focused on the history and backstory of the season's traditions. I can see this collection being a wonderful way to bring families together, reading one story or all of them over the course of the holiday season.

-The Autobiography of Santa Claus-

The best word for this book is "cute." After reading the introduction, I thought I had a five star book in my hands. Guinn's writing was funny and refreshing. But the whole of the book is merely cute.

Guinn attempts to tell a historical tale through the voice of a personal character. The thing is, it's nigh impossible to tell an unbiased history story while also giving the reader a plotline. Therefore, this book really lacked any conflict, because it consisted of only historical "facts." Simply, I got bored with the lack of bad things happening. Nothing got in the way. Even when there were wars, Santa and company were never really in danger or affected. Every character - from Felix to Arthur to Amelia - was cheerful and accepting. Goodness, even the Huns were trusting! It was difficult reading something that was nearly rated G.

Guinn also thinks that loads of tags make excellent writing. Not true.

And...there was a discrepancy with an actual historical fact. The American Civil War was not all about slavery. It was about economy.

Since Saint Nicholas strongly felt that Christmas was ultimately about baby Jesus, I was surprised there wasn't more preaching or talking about Christianity. Ultimately, this felt like a Christian book more than anything. But I was pleasantly surprised that Santa promoted love, forgiveness, and fellowship over religious squabble (I mainly refer to here when Santa left the Pilgrims to be with the kinder Dutch).

This probably could have been written better. But it was enjoyable, despite the drudging through the lack of conflict.

The final page, on a final note, again showed Guinn's potential. It almost inspired tears in me.

-How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas-

This sequel was almost more enjoyable than the first. Perhaps it's because it's nice to come back to a fun book after reading so many school books, but I think this book had more conflict than the first, which the first severely lacked. I still think Guinn makes his characters too happy and goody-goody. Even Sara's flaws seemed too cute, not really threatening to the story. I read the whole book knowing that everything would be okay, rather than feeling anxious or worried.

Guinn's history is great, but I think he gets a little confused. What really bothered me in this volume was how Mrs. Claus thoughts are the same from year one to year now. For example, as a girl, she believed that she should marry someone who loved her, not her land or money. During that time, it was common for marriages to be based on money or convenience. So Mrs. Claus's thoughts were ahead of her time - marriage for love's sake is a relatively new idea for the world. I found it unbelievable that so many women would advocate marriage for love's sake at that time when it simply didn't happen. Even then, her "love" for Santa doesn't really show. I only see respect and friendship; it hardly seems like a marriage for "love."

Also, Mrs. Claus makes a big deal about her not bathing after being in jail so long, being smelly, and wondering how other people would think of her being that way. I believe that during that time, it was very rare for people to bathe often. People used to bathe once a year! I think during that time, lucky people got to bathe once a week. So I don't believe anyone would have noticed how "smelly" she was since most people didn't bathe often during that time, especially poorer people. I understand Guinn might have brought this up to compare old times with today, and that was cute, but it was historically inaccurate, and I think Guinn did well historically throughout and he'd want to be consistent.

-The Great Santa Search-

Wow. If I were grading these books separately, I would have given this one four stars. For once, I think the third book was better than the first! Since the first book was more historical, and the second book was historical but attempting to be story-like, I think that this book was more successful because it didn't mix real history with story too much. I think Guinn's plot was clever and interesting. There was far more at stake plot-wise - real conflict! Some of Guinn's beautiful writing came out every now and then, like with Santa's final speech.

I was a little bothered that Ms. Pepper and her deal wasn't resolved at the end, but I can understand that her character or problem was not the main point of the novel. The book's theme went beyond that conflict, so I guess I'm okay that that tiny conflict wasn't resolved.

Overall, these books made me want to believe in Santa again. They made me love Christmas and love the spirit of giving. I feel like visiting a mall Santa now, although I don't know what I would say.

Oh my, what can I say about this book. It was really a great book to read. I learned a lot of things and more stories of Santa Claus.

This book contains the history of how Santa came to be and how he made so many people and children happy with his gift giving. He made a lot of new friends throughout time and a lot of them became his close and personal helpers to bring so much joy to children especially.

There is also a story of how Mrs. Claus helped to save Christmas one year. She had gotten herself into quite a mess and had to, as the say, go "on the lam" for a while. She managed to help lots of people herself continue to believe in Christmas and keep the spirit going when there was a time it was forbidden to celebrate in certain countries and towns.

The last story in the book concerns a plot to discover the true Santa from a bunch of mall Santas. There was to be a television program that gave each Santa a chance to prove that he was the real and true Santa. Now the real Santa had to make sure he got chosen to be in this contest. One of his helpers had gotten a position with the TV station that was putting on the program and helped to get Santa a spot on there to show that he really was the one and only Santa. Does he win? Well you will have to read and find out what happens.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and learned much about Santa. I still believe in Santa and always will. It is a long book, but worth the read.

This book includes all three stories and has no affiliation with the Netflix movie released this year. Reading them all back-to-back can be a bit challenging especially because the first story is SO much history so it does feel very dry. But reading them all - especially in December - really does warm your heart. It teaches you all about Christmas and consistently reminds you of what Christmas truly is about. As a series, I really enjoyed it.

I truly enjoyed this book. Told from Santa Claus's perspective, we view his life throughout history. Will become an annual read for this family/

Do you love reading Christmas Stories? Get your hands on the Christmas Chronicles by Jeff Guinn. This book is 3 stories in one. First up, The Autobiography of Santa Claus in which the premise is a newspaper reporter is given the assignment of interviewing the Man himself. When you were little did you wonder how Santa got around in one night? Or how the Reindeer flew? Or how so many toys could be made? All the answers are in this delightful story.
Next up Mrs. Claus is the heroine in How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas. Santa takes a back seat to his better half as Mrs. Claus keeps Christmas from being rubbed out.
The Great Santa Search is a game show as Santas from all over descend on a TV studio as the public selects who they think is the best Santa. Think of American Idol but not reaching the ridiculousness of that show.

These 3 stories give the Christmas Season a festive whimsy and will certainly appeal to your kids and the kid in you.

What an interesting book! The book is packed full of interesting facts and as the title suggests, the reader learns more about Santa Claus. This is not a quick read, but get a cup of coffee and a pillow and read away.

I didn’t finish this book. I was so very bored. For me it had a very exciting premise that could have been very interesting but sadly the author failed at making it worth while. The author bogged the book down with too much historical and religious facts that I just couldn’t get into the story.

DNF- I didn't read all of The Great Santa Search. I really enjoyed the other two books in this omnibus, but I couldn't really get into the third one.

This is a huge book of three stories. I read the first story, about half of the book and it was interesting. I got about halfway through the 2nd story but it began to just ramble and I finally quit.

Perfect time of year to take some downtime and dive into this hefty story. I enjoyed the tongue in cheek elfs that joined the merry crew.

Three cute Christmas stories into one book. I read one a year.

I really loved this, so interesting.

Enjoyable and fun. Interesting history and back story of the man we know as Saint Nicholas.

For a book about Santa, I found this one to be very political!!

Childish.

The Autobiography of Santa Claus: This was a head fake as Randy Pausch said in The Last Lecture. It is really history wrapped in the trappings of Santa's life story. I learned some historical facts I had somehow missed knowing before, but much of it was a little far fetched (I know it is a fiction book!) Anyway, the history seems to take away from the wonder and magic, and makes it a little dry to read. I don't know if it would keep the interest of the children it is apparently aimed at. Still, I think this would be excellent reading for my Santa cynical daughter, Lindsey. Since this is only the first novel of the three in the book, I will not give it any stars now, but I think it deserves between 2.5 and 3.

How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas: When I was growing up I remember that if Christmas happened to be on a Sunday and if it was a Sunday I went to church with my dad there would be no mention of Christmas in the service, no festive ivy, no Christmas music. It was just another day of Sunday services. Christmas was, afterall, a pagan holiday. I never realized until I read this book that this attitude came from Puritan roots. Even the fact that their was no instrumental music or excessive ornamentation in the church is Puritan doctrine. I found this and many other historical facts incorporated into this story of Christmas' ban in England during the 1600's quite fascinating. I liked this book much better than the first one and would probably give it 3+ stars.

The Great Santa Search: Guinn is not a compelling writer, but I can see this story being made into a Holiday TV movie. I liked the fact that he tied the Santa tradition into the gift of Jesus. I have always separated the two in my mind. Even though I knew that gifts at Christmas were a reminder of the greatest gift to the world, I somehow never equated the over-commercialized concept of Santa with the religious aspect of Christmas. In fact, I have always felt a little uncomfortable when I have seen the depiction of Santa kneeling by the baby Jesus. Finally, I get it! So I guess what I gained from this experience(three months of Christmas reading)is that Santa gives gifts in the proper spirit of Christmas and can really bring me closer to the true meaning of the season.

When I picked up this book, I really wanted to believe.

Not in Santa... that's a given. No, I really wanted to believe the reviews that said (for example) that this is "a book that deserves classic status," because I was looking for some Christmas spirit and Christmas inspiration as the holidays approached.

This volume is a combination of three novels by Jeff Guinn: The Autobiography of Santa Claus, How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas, and The Great Santa Search. I have to say, on the positive side, that Mr. Guinn is sometimes creative in his use of historical figures throughout the three novels. There are also some moments when he handles characters and events in interesting and unexpected ways, but those moments, unfortunately, are all too brief and all too infrequent. More often, I found that the characters who populate this world lacked depth and seemed to be included more for their historical significance than for any meaningful contribution that their personalities could make to the advancement of the plot and themes.

I also found Mr. Guinn to be a bit heavy-handed with what was clearly one of his major goals, i.e., to remind his readers that the origin and reason for Christmas (and Santa's mission) is the nativity of Jesus. I do not object to the message, but at times (especially in the second novel) the sentiment was mentioned so frequently and inartfully that I found myself saying, "Yeah... I got it... Let's move on." I even started counting the references and was tempted to turn it into a drinking game (even though I don't play drinking games).

The bottom line is that this is a book that will not remain on my bookshelf (and that is a commentary in and of itself). And the next time I'm looking for Christmas spirit and inspiration, I will pull out a copy of Dickens.

The Christmas Chronicles by Jeff Guinn is a collection of 3 separate Christmas stories. It is a very long book, over 700 pages---all in regular print, and it took me over a month to read through it. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and had to keep reading it--no matter how long it took!
The first book is written in the style of an autobiography of Santa Claus going back to approx. 300 AD when a young boy named Nicholas had a strong desire to give to others in need and then progressing in time up until modern day. Throughout that book, many facts of world history are given and 'Santa Claus' becomes involved with many internationally famous people such as St. Francis of Assissi, Leonardo da Vinci, King Arthur of Britain, the explorer Marco Polo, President Theodore Roosevelt, Charlemagne, and many others. I found the history in this book fascinating and loved the way the author wove together the tale of Santa Claus with Christian beliefs.

In the 2nd book in the collection 'How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas',there is a focus on historical events in England during a time when Puritans had banned celebrating Christmas and Oliver Cromwell was in power. For anyone who enjoys historical fiction---, this book would be especially interesting.

The last book in the collection The Great Santa Search has Santa Claus competing in a reality show contest for selecting the one true Santa Claus! This book not only had interesting history but a building up of suspense at the time for the competition drew near and in the contest itself.

I learned more about traditions of Christmas than I known before reading this book and was reminded once again of many facts of world history I had once learned long ago. It was a great refresher course! I think the author has written the most exceptional book for Christmas that I have ever written.

This is a wonderful Christmas read! It is 3 books in one, but the first-The Autobiography of Santa Claus is my favorite, though they are all good. It begins in the year 280 A.D. and brings us to the 20th century with some insight on stockings by the fire, how reindeer fly, how Santa and his helpers can live at the North Pole. What's really fun is the help he receives along the way from some surprising historical figures: Attila the Hun, Leonardo da Vinci, Teddy Roosevelt, Washington Irving, Charles Dickens, Amelia Earhart and others. Some of these characters appear in all three books. I like to "believe" there is some truth to these books filled with the spirit of Christmas!

This was a hefty read (over 700 pages) but I managed to finish it within the holiday season.

Contains three books:

Autobiography of Santa Claus - my favorite of the 3, although a bit far-fetched to believe Santa is in cahoots with Teddy Roosevelt, Attila the Hun, Leonardo da Vinci, and many more.

How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas - the most dull of the three, but ok

The Great Santa Search - would have liked more history of the portrayals of Santa in the US over the years, and the whole "Santa competing on a reality show" plotline was a bit much, but still entertaining

I absolutely adore "The Autobiography of Santa Claus." It's magical and wonderful and tells such a fun interpretation of the origins of Santa Claus.

I am not as crazy about the other two books. The second book, "How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas," was slow to start and I was more than 1/3 of the way through before any action started happening. And when I sat back down to finish it, I realized I just didn't care about how Mrs. Claus was going to save Christmas. So I put the rest of it down.

I highly recommend the first book. The second one was slow and I didn't even bother with the third.

The Autobiography of Santa Claus--I loved Santa's story. I loved how so many good people joined up to help spread happiness and hope to the children. I loved the history that was intertwined into the story with people, places and dates. Very cleaver. I loved that Santa wanted to remind us that the reason for giving was to commemorate Jesus' birth and how important that was to his story.

I'm excited to read the other two stories in the book.

I've enjoyed the first two books in this collection and am saving #3 for next December!

*****

I read the first two books in Nov./Dec. 2010 and the third in December 2011. I enjoyed having a grown-up Santa story to read in the days leading up to Christmas. I am wary of the sappiness factor of many holiday books and did not find that in these books. I highly recommend these to Christmas loving adults who'd like to suspend their disbelief a little.

This is actually a compilation of 3 books - The Autobiography of Santa Claus, How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas and The Great Santa Search. I think I might have liked it better if I'd read them separately, instead of all at once, since there was some repeated info. The first book book was the most interesting, because it fleshed out the facts about the development of the Santa Claus legend with fictional details.

I've got to admit that I was disappointed with this. It's not horrible, but directed more towards 6th graders. A semi-interesting history lesson as St. Nick intersperses his legend with actual historical events and characters. The book is 24 chapters long in order to function as a sort of Advent Calendar.