In 1902, just two years after writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but 2 years before the first Oz sequel, L Frank Baum wrote The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. It was illustrated by Mary Cowles Clark.
This was Baum’s attempt to tell the origin of Santa Claus and explain the beginnings and reasons for all of our different beliefs and practices around Christmas time. It was a very ambitious undertaking. But Baum does it in his usual dreamy, fairy tale-like manner and, for the most part, it works.
Baum sets up the world by describing all the magical immortal creatures that oversee various aspects of Nature. We see creatures such as Fairies who watch over humans, Wood Nymphs who watch over forests, Gnomes who watch over the rocks and Ryls and Knooks who watch over the flowers and animals, respectively (along with many other creatures I’ll not name). All of these creatures are presided over by the Great Woodsman, Ak.
One day Ak stumbles upon a lost child and allows a Wood Nymph, Necile, to adopt him. Necile names him Neclaus (Nicolas). Santa is raised by these magical, immortal creatures in the forest until Ak decided Claus must learn more about his own people and takes him on a trip into the human world. Santa is shocked and frustrated by the wars, greed, child neglect and child abuse he witnesses. Ak encourages him to not forsake the mortals as he is one of them. Santa decides to do something about what he’s seen.
Santa moves to the nearby Laughing Valley where all the magical creatures help him build a workshop and get him started making toys. The idea Baum posits here is that toys don’t currently exist. Santa invents them when he makes his first toy which then transfixes the children. So he continues to do it and his operation becomes bigger and bigger as he tries to help more and more children.
Cavalcade of Awesome 