Here Comes Santa Claus by Gene Autry and Oakley Haldeman (illustrated by Bruce Whatley) has beautiful illustrations to the classic song. The realistic illustrations shift from Santa at the North Pole and in the midst of delivering presents, to a family singing carols, hanging stockings, and otherwise preparing for a happy Christmas Eve. This song about Santa Claus is a Christian one, and I enjoy the blend of Santa with the Christian Christmas cheer.
I love the Santa tradition: the red fur coat, the cookies and milk, the reindeer. When I was young, we left not only cookies and milk for Santa but also parsley for the reindeer. I love Santa’s friends: Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman, Mrs. Claus, and so many more. (We got presents not just from Santa but from his friends.) I love Christmas Carols, even in the stores in late November. And I love all the characters that we now associate with Christmas, because we met them first in books.
