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| L. Frank Baum c. 1911 |
A Kidnapped Santa Claus is a 1904 L. Frank Baum short story, which can be read online here or here.. This story is based in the same mythological creation as Baum's Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, which is much-beloved at our house. It begins,
Santa Claus lives in the Laughing Valley, where stands the big, rambling castle in which his toys are manufactured. His workmen, selected from the ryls, nooks, pixies and fairies, live with him, and every one is as busy as can be from one year's end to another.Listen to it read to you:
It is called the Laughing Valley because everything there is happy and gay. The brook chuckles to itself as it leaps rollicking between its green banks; the wind whistles merrily in the trees; the sunbeams dance lightly over the soft grass, and the violets and wild flowers look smilingly up from their green nests. To laugh one needs to be happy; to be happy one needs to be content. And throughout the Laughing Valley of Santa Claus contentment reigns supreme.
On one side is the mighty Forest of Burzee. At the other side stands the huge mountain that contains the Caves of the Daemons. And between them the Valley lies smiling and peaceful.
One would thing that our good old Santa Claus, who devotes his days to making children happy, would have no enemies on all the earth; and, as a matter of fact, for a long period of time he encountered nothing but love wherever he might go.
But the Daemons who live in the mountain caves grew to hate Santa Claus very much, and all for the simple reason that he made children happy.
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You certainly expand my horizons, beyond the Oz series of books, I didn't know Baum wrote anything else.
ReplyDeleteThe Life and Adventures of Santa Claus was adapted for film in 1985, and it's an annual watch for us. It explains how Santa -completely divorced from any connection with St. Nicholas in this mythology- was born and was granted immortality. I'd highly recommend it as something completely different for the holidays.
DeleteThis is indeed something completely different! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI like his take on Santa :)
DeleteI'm with CJ. I knew Baum wrote Oz, but this makes me see an entirely new and unique side of him.
ReplyDeleteHe created an entire new Santa mythology. I'm a believer :)
DeleteSounds fun! Have a great day, Valerie
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize his Santa story went beyond the book Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, but I was glad to find this :)
DeleteNot heard of this one, sounds interesting 😀. Thanks for sharing and have a great day! J 😊 x
ReplyDeleteDefinitely different. He created such interesting characters!
DeleteOh I do want to take a trip to Laughing Valley! This almost sounds like it could be the base story of the Grinch, that maybe Dr Seuss read & came up with Grinch living in a cave hating joy & happiness ... thanks for finding this story & sharing :)
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought of that connection. Laughing Valley sounds like it could apply to both :)
DeleteThat would be a catastrophe for all those good girls and boys. Especially this close to the big night. Smile. Hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteHorrors! No Santa is unthinkable! :)
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