The Legend of the Christmas Witch

Inventive story of Santa's long-lost twin sister.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Legend of the Christmas Witch, by TV and film actor Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation), invents a character -- Santa Claus' long-lost twin sister -- and a backstory to explain why Kristoffer/Santa was driven by joy and kindness, while his twin, Kristtörn, became driven by anger and revenge. The book reads like a fairy tale, with a lengthy text and fantastical elements, including a witch's ability to talk to and heal animals. The long, rather complicated story is best for patient listeners or readers.
What's the Story?
In the LEGEND OF THE CHRISTMAS WITCH, brother and sister twins were abandoned by their parents and cared for by animals in the forest, which they can magically communicate with. One day, they get separated in the forest and the brother, Kristoffer, is taken in by a kind, childless Danish couple -- the Kringles -- who raise him to be kind, and he learns from his father how to make wooden toys, which he would share with the village kids. Meanwhile, his sister, Kristtörn, is left behind and angry about it. She's taken in by a witch and raised in the forest, taught how to use her magic and advised by her adoptive mother to hide her magic from people, who will hunt her down for being a witch -- which eventually happens, after they see her use magic to heal a rabbit. To protect her from the angry mob, the witch sends her off and instructs a raven to watch over her. Kristtörn sails off in a boat in search of her brother, and ends up at the South Pole. She learns from the raven that on Christmas Eve her brother travels the world in his sleigh pulled by reindeer to bring joy and presents to children. So she continues her quest for years, traveling the oceans in her boat, now pulled by penguins. "Every yuletide she would search again, determined to catch him." In cities and villages, she sometimes stops at houses an leaves gifts she made for the children -- "a woven grass doll, a wreath of penguin feathers, or a simple bouquet of holly leaves" -- which the local people view as "evil pagan objects," so the legend of the Christmas Witch grows. When she finally finds Kris Kringle in Lucca, Italy, on Christmas Eve, it's not as rosy a reunion as she might have imagined. Angered by Kris' rejection of her and believing her "precious Yuletide" had been "destroyed by greed," she declares, "I am going to ruin this Christmas holiday once and for all!"
Is It Any Good?
This imaginative story has the look and feel of a classic fairy tale, but it's darker than most holiday stories. And even though it has amazing illustrations by Julia Iredale that capture the look of medieval Europe -- and a cute troop of penguins on team Kristtörn -- there's no humor and little lightness in The Christmas Witch. Santa/Kris Kringle doesn't come off too well, either. As a child, he doesn't seem to care when he gets separated from his twin sister (distracted by a warm cinnamon roll, he doesn't mention that he has a sister who's just steps away), or delighted when she reconnects with him. He doesn't help her, only tells her to continue to hide from people to avoid being hurt by them for being a witch. There's a positive message about not losing your temper or being guided by anger, and a brief, subtle reference to climate change (melting ice caps) at the end, but it's a bit muddled. And the lengthy text will require a patient listener and a reader with stamina.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how The Legend of the Christmas Witch invents a whole new Christmas story. How is it different from the legends you've heard about Santa Claus?
What do you think of how villagers and townspeople treated Kristtörn. Why were they afraid of her leaving children simple gifts like a holly sprig? Why are people sometimes mean to others simply because they seem different?
What's your favorite holiday story, and why? How does this one compare?
Book Details
- Authors: Dan Murphy, Aubrey Plaza
- Illustrator: Julia Iredale
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Brothers and Sisters
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
- Publication date: November 17, 2021
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 5 - 8
- Number of pages: 56
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: November 10, 2022
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