BY MICHAEL OLOHAN
OF NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS
OLD TAPPAN, N.J.—If you’re looking for an entirely different view of Santa’s sleigh ride to deliver toys to all the world’s good girls and boys, then an Old Tappan author’s story, “The Christmas That Almost Never Was,” should be on your holiday reading list to delight and entertain children.
“A howling blizzard strikes Santaville. The reindeer all come down with the flu and are unable to fly. Can Santa possibly save Christmas?” reads a question on the book cover, while nearby reindeer appear to be shivering under a snow-battered open window in one of the book’s many colorful illustrations.
Stanley E. Wiklinski, a former Naval commander, Broadway actor and an Old Tappan resident for 24 years, said he got the idea for his unique take on the tale of Santa’s sleigh ride almost 27 years ago while on vacation.
“Someone in our group said, ‘What if the reindeer couldn’t fly?’ and that started the conversation and then suggestions of who could take their place,” said Wiklinski Dec. 3.
Wiklinski, 85, said he wrote “The Christmas That Almost Never Was” in under a year in 1991 but it took this long until he was able to follow-though, get a book publisher—Jabberwocky Books, and put in the countless hours to get the book produced and begin to generate interest.
He said the book was mentioned in this month’s issue of People Magazine, featured in a “Three Picks for Children” listing of books. He noted the book is now in at least seven bookstores nationwide, including Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Texas—and online.
Wiklinski will be at Northvale’s Books and Greetings on Sunday, Dec. 16 at noon.
Originally published in July, the book costs $17.95.
Stanley Wiklinski
Reindeer under the weather
Wiklinski’s book tells the story of a raging winter storm that sidelines Santa’s reindeer with the flu. With the encouragement of the village’s residents and reindeer, the area’s polar bears learn to fly and save Christmas.
Wiklinski said while approximately 300 copies have been sold so far, he has upcoming interviews set with local radio and TV, in addition to a signing at Montclair Public Library.
“The greatest thing a parent can give a child is a sense of self-confidence. It sounds easy, but it is the most difficult thing to do,” he said.
He said his book “has a number of things my parents gave to me: hope, belief, action, and endurance under pressure. And to keep our children’s eyes and minds wide open,” he added.
He said his book is an original departure from the longstanding, nearly two-century-old “Twas The Night Before Christmas,” of which he is proud.
He said his lifelong friend, actor Henry Winkler, a fellow 1970 Yale University School of Drama graduate, endorsed his new children’s classic with a cover quote boasting, “Stanley Wiklinski has created a beautiful, whimsical holiday classic that sleigh rides right into your heart.”
Wiklinski also praised the beautiful drawings of illustrator Gary Lippincott, whose images of reindeer, polar bears, snow-covered villages, Santa and townsfolk fill the book’s 33 large pages.
He said he hopes to make an animated film on the book in the future that can be understood and enjoyed by younger children.