Fantasy: December 13, 2017 Issue [#8647]
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Fantasy


 This week: Tales of Christmas
  Edited by: eyestar~* Author IconMail Icon
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Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

*Santahat*Ho Ho Ho! Here I am as a guest editor of this newsletter for a second time. As it is the Christmas season of lights, my muse was wondering about authors who might use it as a theme.

*Angel* We all know Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol and DR. Seuss' The Grinch who stole Christmas! C.S.Lewis' tale "The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe" is one of my favourite which begins in the winter. "Always winter, but never Christmas!" Father Christmas showing up is a sign of light and love returning. But who else? Let's look! You may know more than I so be prepared to comment! *Wink*


*Star* "Christmas doesn't come from a store, maybe, Christmas means perhaps a little bit more." Dr. Seuss' Grinch

*Candler*"I will honour Christmas in my heart and keep it all the year." C. Dickens

*Xmastree* "At Christmas I no more desire a rose, than wish snow in May's new-fangled shows." ~Shakespeare




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Letter from the editor

*Ornament1b*My search took me on a journey to find Christmas tales or stories with Christmas themes written by fantasy authors! And why not? Fantasy folks love myths, legends, folklore, er... elves! *Laugh* I read that Christmas itself is not an overly favoured theme and Shakespeare only mentions it 3 times in his works. *Shock*

*Bookstack3* I was routing through my stash and found my copy of JRR Tolkien's Letters to Father Christmas, written over a 14 year period! Yes indeed, he wrote these letters with illustrations to his sons from 1920 til 1942 telling the tales of Father Christmas, polar bears and even fighting goblins! What is is good fantasy without the bad guys! Every year a stamped letter would show up on Christmas post. It was published in 1999, after his death.

*Ornament1r* I also discovered that Frank L. Baum, the creator of The Wizard of OZ wrote a whimsical book called the The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus in 1902. *Shock* He tells the Santa story complete with demons, gnomes and fairies! In one of the tales Santa is kidnapped. *Sad*

*Ornament2v*Terry Pratchard, famous for Discworld wrote Hogfather where the Hogfather who delivers present goes missing, and a set of funny short stories of wacky Christmases in Father Christmas's Fake Beard.

*Ornament1Y* There are quite a few short stories with the theme. You can even read them free on line. Who knew?
A fantasy author, whose works I have read, Tad Williams, wrote a fairy tale The Sugar Plum Favour. I had no idea til now. *Smile*

*Ornament1v*You can even read about Christmas Ninjas *Shock2* in The Christmas Mummy by Heather Shaw and Tim Pratt

*Ornament1s* Vylkar Kattin wrote a post apocolyptic futuristic tale The Christmas Wedding.

*Ornament2r*"The Shannara Series" author Terry Brooks uses a Christmas wish book to engage his main character and have him buy a kingdom.

*Ornament2y*Several authors including one of my favourites Mercedes Lackey write unsual stories in A Cosmic Christmas! Christmas ghosts or Christmas on a space station. I guess there is no end to the imagination of a fantasy or sci fi writer!

*Ornament1v*I also discovered that Andre Norton wrote a short story "A very Dickensy Christmas" in a collection with other writer called The Magic of Christmas.

*Ornament1g* Another cool one I read is Wolf Christmas by David Pinkwater! Imagine Christmas from a wolf's point of view! *Wolf*

*Bookstack2*Feel free to check them out for yourself:
http://www.tadwilliams.com/2011/12/sugarplum-favor/
https://www.npr.org/2010/12/25/132324290/Daniel-Pinkwater-Reads-Wolf-Christmas
http://podcastle.org/2010/12/21/podcastle-136-the-christmas-mummy/

There were other authors who I could find no link to a christmas theme, and my search could continue... but Christmas is coming! *Stockingb*


*Stockingr* I will leave you with two questions:

*Star* Have you read any fantasy/sci fi authors where they explore a Santa or Christmas theme? What is good to read? I can't say I have read many so your opinions would be of interest.

*Star* What fantasy or sci-fi book would you like to get in your Christmas stocking? or Under the tree? or for your holiday reading?

Thanks for reading my wanderings! *Fairy*

*Heart*Be safe and best wishes for peace and joy of the season and beyond into the new year!

eyestar

Sources:
with more stories online
https://litreactor.com/columns/the-magic-of-christmas-an-advent-calendar-of-fant...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Father_Christmas_Letters





Editor's Picks

*Stockingr* Some Christmas fun!

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#2106122 by Not Available.

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#2069608 by Not Available.

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#2142272 by Not Available.

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#2142829 by Not Available.

 “Magical” Animals Open in new Window. (E)
A poem about these animals' magical flight once a year.
#2068956 by Harry Author IconMail Icon

 The Elves That Saved Christmas Open in new Window. (E)
The Elves save Christmas
#1362339 by ShiShad Author IconMail Icon

 
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Ornamental Reflections Open in new Window. (E)
The ornaments reminisce.
#1966269 by Teargen Author IconMail Icon


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Flight of Fantasy Signature Shop Open in new Window. (E)
Ready-made and custom, still and animated images and signatures.
#2076569 by A E Willcox Author IconMail Icon

Fantasy and Science Fiction Society Open in new Window. (E)
For Fantasy and Science Fiction authors. Open to all applications. come in and learn
#2014050 by David the Dark one! Author IconMail Icon

 
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Ask & Answer

*Xmastree* I hope you will share you favourite Xmas theme story or book by fantasy or sic fi author! And what book you would like for a gift! *Wink* Meantime, have fun dreaming up your own tweaks on the theme!


*Delight* Whoah! Way back in May I did my first fantasy newsletter and I thank these readers for their comments. *Heart*
"Fantasy Newsletter (May 31, 2017)" Open in new Window.

brom21 Author Icon
"I never knew all the facets that are connected with the well known archetype of the dragon. Adding a personality to it sounds interesting. I think it would be cool for a dragon to have a humorous, sanguine personality. It would be even funnier if it had and intellectual demeanor!-maybe one with glasses. This has probably been done before though. LOl. Thanks forthe newsletter!"

*Delight* Thanks brom. Fire sparks the imagination.

BIG BAD WOLF is Merry Author Icon
"Plenty of dragons out there."

Yep! Thanks for reading!

willwilcox

"AWESOME NEWSLETTER"

*Blush* Thank you so much.

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