The Santa Claus Man

Very crazy stuff that now a days could never happen. There is no more whimzy crime now that technology has evaded our lives.

I love a good story about history, especially when they are about topics I have never heard of before. This book is a good example. I have always wondered what happens to letter sent to Santa. Palmer takes you back in time when one man tries to make everyone's Christmas a little brighter. But with most tales, the best of intentions can lead to trouble. Some of the stories are so heartwarming. Learning how complete strangers help a mother reunite with her son after he was kidnapped by his father. But this book is not all rainbows and sunshine. I think many readers who like history and untold tales will find this book quite enjoyable.

A wonderful non-fiction book that has a tone similar to fiction. It's the story of John Duval Gluck who started an organization to answer the letters that children send to Santa. It details his rise and fall and the story of Christmas in New York in the 1920's. The author is a relative of Gluck so there are a lot of wonderful photos to add to the story.

Generally, I try to avoid biographies written by family members who aren't children. People tend to be glamorized. And while that did happen in this book, it was still a well-written book. And an entertaining read about an interesting con man.

Far be it from me to be part of "Christmas creep"; I'm as nauseated as anyone to see holiday decorations dominating stores and Christmas-themed commercials cropping up on tv. But this book was published in, and I read it in, October, and – well, after all, this is how it all began…

I roll my eyes at sentimental movies. That part in the Two Towers film where the whole theatre was filled with the sound of sniffling found me sitting in a boiling fury at the ridiculous schmaltz of it all. I cry at Hallmark commercials, and cannot bear to watch an ASPCA commercial or listen to Kathy Mattea's "Where've You Been". I am basically a hard, cynical shell over a soft and squishy center, simultaneously all kinds of jaded and a huge ball of mush.
So is this book.
It is the tale of what is simultaneously one of the best and worst things, one of the the happiest and most cynicism-inspiring things, about the Yule season in modern times: Yes, Virginia, it's Santa Claus. Herein is the complete evolution of the jolly old elf, from skinny Dutch saint to corpulent reindeer-wrangler, and that's tremendous fun to follow. It’s sad to think that just about a hundred years ago no one would have dreamed of putting Christmas merchandise in a store in September… Can you imagine? No commercials targeting children (no commercials, period!), and no commercialization – Christmas treated as a family celebration. A religious holiday! Remarkable.
As a sidebar to the main story, The Santa Claus Man depicts the death of that mindset.
It also depicts the death (sorry: spoiler) of the United States Boy Scout. Not the Boy Scouts of America, mind you – they're alive and well. No, a hundred years ago there were two organizations, and the one you've probably never heard of, the one whose boys used to carry guns, the USBS was the one who became involved with the Santa Claus Association – and with whom John Duvall Gluck became more and more involved, leading to the downfall of all of the above.

It's a fascinating story, a portrait of New York City in the teens and 20's, of philanthropy and greed, of goodwill to all blended with casual racism, of propaganda and duplicity and heartfelt sentiment, the greatest wealth and the deepest poverty and the interaction between the two. It's an absolute validation for all the cynicism the most world-weary cynic can bring to bear … but there's also a fair amount to feel warm and fuzzy about. Funny old world, isn't it, where the two are so inseparable? The beginning of the story, as this one man decides to do something about all those children's letters to Santa Claus which landed in the dead letter office every year, actually brought a lump to my throat.

The end did too, but by then it was nausea.

Something that bothered me all through the book – due to that squishy center, I guess – was this sort of sentiment: “There are thousands of folk willing and anxious to help make the Yuletide happy for children". That's wonderful, I kept thinking, but – where are those thousands of folk the rest of the year? Isn't there a certain terrible irony to the idea that impoverished children might receive a toy they wished for – but not have enough blankets on their beds?
Gluck received a letter from the personal secretary of William Kissam Vanderbilt, inheritor of $55 million from his father, Grand Central Railroad owner William H. Vanderbilt. Gluck likely tore open the envelope with excitement, curious what the rich man might be offering the association. “Dear Sir,” read the letter. “Mr. Vanderbilt requests me to send you the enclosed check amounting to $10, his contribution towards your Santa Claus fund.”

This is a terrific read, very well-written and meticulously researched, never pulling a punch no matter whose relation Gluck was. But be warned: despite the title and the topic, this isn't really a cozy Yuletide read, not the sort I've always looked for to read by the light of the Christmas tree.

This was received from Netgalley for an honest review - thanks!

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Una:

I was pleasantly surprised that I actually enjoyed this book. Following the rise and fall of Duval Gluck Jr. aka “the Santa Claus Man “Alex Palmer gives the reader an insight on how some of the Christmas traditions of today evolved.

Gluck started out humbly by addressing letters to Santa by local children with the best of Christmas ideology, however as with most power situations, corruption reveals its ugly head and before long Santa Gluck is imbedded into a web of deceit.

Palmer along with the Gluck story gives the reader an insight into New York City and America’s changing Christmas traditions. I for one was not aware of two Boy Scout groups (one which was gun toting for a time). Santa went from a rather nasty feared person and a punisher of naughty children to a Santa who rewarded good behavior. Mail trucks were also allowed to speed to get the mail delivered on time and of course the lighting of a main Christmas tree in the city spread the joy for everyone and soon was carried out in most American cities.

The Santa Claus association was disbanded in 1928 but not before the reader has the opportunity to see how Gluck , a man whose birthday fell on Christmas day and who was always cheerful ,who possessed a knack for telling stories as well having modern day PR skills, is painted sympathetically as a man who aspired to be more. Palmer does condemn Gluck’s vices however the reader is drawn into how Gluck constantly outwits the people who want to close his association down. The names of these groups really boggled my mind. The one that stood out for me was the group known as The Useless Giving group. Completely Bah Humbug in my opinion.

Letters from children still get answered at Christmas but by a much reformed system, and of course volunteers are still needed to respond to them. I think this book would appeal to both believers and those who are a bit like Scrooge. A definite Christmas read for those who like nonfiction.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

This is so interesting! I love to read about the history of holiday traditions and this book was fantastic!