The Errors Of Santa Claus by Stephen Leacock, 1919
The magic trick:
Coming up with a fun idea for a story and then telling it simply
There isn’t much to analyze here. It’s a fun, light holiday story – no more, no less. The author had a silly idea for a premise and does well to tell his tale – the parents like to play with their children’s Christmas gifts even more than the children do – with minimal effort. Much of the plot moves through dialogue. Simple and charming. And that’s quite a trick on Leacock’s part.
The selection:
“Oh, I think it’s perfectly sweet,” said Mrs. Brown. “Just the loveliest doll I’ve seen in years. I must get one like it for Ulvina. Won’t Clarisse be perfectly enchanted?”
“Yes,” answered Mrs. Jones, “and then she’ll have all the fun of arranging the dresses. Children love that so much. Look, there are three little dresses with the doll, aren’t they cute? All cut out and ready to stitch together.”
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