Just So Stories

Little Book Press

September 2025

Simon & Schuster

ISBN13: 9781923141407

RRP: LIST PRICE: AU$ 24.99 / NZ$ 29.99

The thing about Christmas is that it is an intensely individual festival for each and every person and family. This book is a sublime insight into that concept.

Once upon a time, in my family our Christmas was a huge affair with all the grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and neighbours joining in for a big Christmas Eve party, and then definitely sharing and comparing Santa sacks on Christmas Day with cousins.

Then it was just my own little family, along with my mum and stepdad with the traditional ham and eggs bbq breakfast, presents after that, lunch (hot traditional until we converted Mum on a caravanning holiday to the beach) and backyard cricket. I was a big decorator and caterer. It was an all-consuming effort.

When The Kid first came to me, after we lost her mum, I went all out to make her last few years of ‘believing’ special as well. There was the whole Elf on the Shelf routine, personal letters from Santa and more.

But as time goes on, and, of course, her faith in the Fat Man was replaced by her belief in herself and the ones who love her most, our Christmas has become muted and barely noticeable. I still decorate but minimally. I still give her a Santa sack (despite her protests she doesn’t need any presents).

We still have fun festive food and do something special – this year it’s 3 nights in the Glasshouse Mtns with picnics, swimming and catch-ups with #1 and grandson, friends and, of course, Mr Surfer. And, you know what, it’s all good.

So many children get so confused and so sad that their friends at school have a movie/dream type Christmas extravaganza with a grands’ worth of gifts delivered or that their classmates are jetting off overseas, or that there’s only one present under a tiny tree or perhaps they just don’t celebrate Christmas at all.

IT’S ALL OK. It doesn’t matter what shape or size their Christmas is.

And I love that this book demonstrates that to children and underlines that Christmas is not about gifts, tinsel, trees, expensive gifts and huge gatherings.

Christmas isn’t a number, it’s not an amount.

It’s not something you measure, it’s not something you count.

It’s pure and simple – it’s about love.

Christmas is love.

Love is enough.

And that’s exactly how it plays out for The Kid and I. Christmas just isn’t the same for us with so many loved ones gone, especially her mum. But we have each other and we show our love for each other every single day, Christmas is just a different day with different food often in a different place.

I truly applaud this pair of creators for putting together a book that will reinforce this message to children. There is already enough competitiveness, envy and commercialism in the world. We don’t need to encourage it or feed it with Xmas crap.