A Defective Santa Claus, describes one of the most beloved traditions of the modern Christmas celebration. The book reminds us of the joy children take in the holiday and the sometimes loving extremes to which parents go to fulfil that anticipation and wonder of Christmas in their children’s lives. The book is a poem that tells the tale of children’s anticipation of a Christmas Eve visit from Santa Claus “stoked all day long by stories from a favourite uncle”, which is the children’s father who had conveniently gone into town that day. The visit from Santa Claus turns into a comic-opera when Santa backs into a lighted candle on the tree, setting his suit on fire and is then pushed out into the snow to damp the flames.
By James Whitcomb Riley