Small Home Gazette, Fall 2018

History Brief: Was Santa Claus Ever a Boy?

There are folk tales that we associate with Christmas including, of course, Santa Claus, but over the years, some have been lost to time. The tale of Santa’s boyhood is an example. It was first published in the Ladies Home Journal in 1921 at Christmas time. The author, Sarah Addington, gave it the rather cumbersome title of:

The Boy Who Lived In Pudding Lane, Being a True Account, if only you believe it, of the Life and Ways of Santa, Oldest Son of Mr. and Mrs. Claus

Book covers from 1922 and 2017.

The story follows Santa as he grows up with nursery rhyme characters in Pudding Lane, eventually to become the famed gift-giver who flies around the world. With illustrations created by Gertrude Kay (famous for the 1923 edition of Alice in Wonderland), more books about Pudding Lane and its cast of characters followed throughout the 1920s.

Published as a hardcover in 1922, The Boy Who Lived in Pudding Lane… became a classic that has been forgotten. Recently reprinted, the story has clear messages about giving, kindness and love for fellow human beings.

And did you know that Santa Claus’ grandmother was the one and only Mother Goose?