November 19, 1999:
Christmas Psychology
By discussing Carl Anderson's All I Want for Christmas Is ... Letters From Santa's Mailbag, I contribute to that awful trend of Christmas, the idea of Christmas, being sold too far in advance of its actual occurrence. But Anderson, an adjunct assistant professor in the educational psychology department at UT who bears an uncanny resemblance to the canonical St. Nick, and his co-author Jim Walker, have collected a priceless assemblage of letters here. Divided into chapters like "On Being Good, Appreciation and Affection," or "What I Want for Christmas and Some Special Instructions," All I Want covers the gamut of Christmas emotions, the almost unbearable anticipation and the serious self-evaluation that certain children seem to relish. "Dear Santa, I've been bad," Chris writes. "Please bring me coal. I thank you." Emily has this to say: "Dear Santa, I know your really busy but please read this OK. What I really want for Christmas is nothing at all. You may ask why. The reason is I have not been good at all the hole year. So anything you got for me take it back or give it to a kid that needs it. So please don't get me anything for Christmas well give me some cole and swiches. P.S. Please write back. Yours Turely, Emily." And then there are the letters that reveal, perhaps, more than is intended: "Dear Santa, Thank you for George of the Jungle, candy, Pajamas, c.d. I hope you enjoyed the whisky, beer, prestles. I love you! Your doing good! Love, Alexa." Curiosity gets the best of us, even (especially?) when we're under 10 years old: "Dear Santa Claus, Do you really come down the chimmery Santa? ... Now, can you tell me a few answers to these questions? Please put the answers in my stocking. What are the other reindeers names? Who are your favorite elves? What time do you do you start out? Who do you think has been better just for the record me or Cortney? These are all the questions I have. Your Friend, Scott." Anderson has already headed up to Dallas to become Santa at NorthPark Center, but his book is available at local bookstores.
Reissues
Mojo Press has just reissued two classics, The Hereafter Gang and Interstate Dreams, by Neal Barrett Jr., "who lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife, Ruth, and his cat, Sue Jean," as his author's note states. Sarah Bird's Virgin of the Rodeo has also just been reissued by University of Nebraska Press, and Stephen Harrigan's 1992 account of his underwater experiences, Water and Light: A Diver's Journey to a Coral Reef, has been reprinted by University of Texas Press. Now's a good time to become acquainted with these writers if you aren't already.
Events
Nathan Englander (For the Relief of Unbearable Urges) will be at BookPeople on Tuesday, November 23 at 7pm... Turk Pipkin will present his new Christmas book, When Angels Sing: A Christmas Story, at Barnes & Noble Arboretum on Sunday, November 28 from 2-4pm.
