Behind the Poignant Scenes of Santa

Behind the Poignant Scenes of Santa:

A Review of Jack Gannon’s I Walked in Santa’s Boots: Lowcountry Christmas Memories

By: Ron Baxley, Jr.

Five Stars (*****)

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and this book gives a behind the scenes look at a Santa who made appearances in Beaufort, S.C. and beyond for 23 years. This book combines the anecdotal, hidden lesson-style memoirs of publications such as “Guideposts” with traditional books of Santa lore yet with regionalism focusing on the coastal areas of S.C. and Georgia.

Often, one will one find a Christmas-related book that explores the real-life aspects of Santa Claus in a sentimental way for those who remember their children’s, their grand-children’s, and/or their own early years with great fondness. However, not often will one find one with such stories of poignancy and behind the scenes aspects that would be of interest to polished theatrical personnel with a regional S.C. Low-country flair coupled with the universality that is St. Nicholas.

(Next, before nay-sayers say that Jack Gannon is actually a co-publisher with YBR Publishing of two of my own books and they state that I am biased, I want to add a point. I have often reviewed books by close authorial colleagues who I count as real life friends and have not always given them five stars. I rely on the merit of the work itself, so this YBR Publishing author who happens to be co-publisher earned his five stars.)

First, he brought me to tears in a good way not only once but three times when his story of a little girl running and jumping into his arms as Santa reminded me of my own visiting niece doing the same in my late grandmother’s arms during Christmas when she was about half the age or less she is now. Jack also did so when he described going to the nursing homes as Santa and his interactions there, bringing to mind my Dad’s long stay in the nursing home with dementia as well as my grandmother’s and other relatives’ stays in various nursing homes. His own poignant recollections of being Santa around his own mother and father before they passed reminded me of comparable memories (not as Santa but just with the grieving aspects) with my late father and grandmother. Second, Jack brought me great joy with his many discussions about various pet events and particularly the canine interactions there which reminded me of the time I took my Corgi Ziggy to see several different Santa Clauses. Third, Jack reminded me of the religious aspects of Saint Nickolas and how often our actions around Christmas and throughout the year should reflect those. Fourth, he brought in many interesting details to those of us with an interest in theater such as costuming, performance, and sets from not only his public appearances but his appearance in holiday dance productions and plays. Finally, within this hardcover book, he put in so many colorful photographs of Santa with children in a variety of poses and so many letters and notes from Santa to children that a Grinch’s heart would go from small to large after just a few pages. (Granted, a few of those photographs were grainy but that is to be expected from the scanned newspaper pages which had to be used to capture certain moments at times.)

Jack’s memoir of being Santa Claus is the proverbial treasure trove of the holiday spirit, and I recommend it to adults who want to look back at cherished Christmas memories but also want a good behind-the-scenes peek at what it is to be a real-life character.