Collecting Highlights

12/1/2005:  "A Proper Santa Claus" (short story)
by Cheryl Miller

"A Proper Santa Claus" is about a boy named Jeremy, who has the ability to make his artwork come alive, if they are "proper". When he decides to make a Santa Claus for his own benefit, he learns an unexpected lesson about selfishness.

There are two endings to this tale: the editor of the anthology it first appeared in insisted on a happy ending, rather than the downbeat one Anne originally wrote. The later two publications reinstate the author-intended ending.

This short story was originally published in the anthology Demon Kind, edited by Roger Elwood. The theme of this anthology was stories of children with supernatural powers. This paperback was published by Avon Books in March 1973, printed in New York, and sold for 75 cents (US).

The story was printed a second time in the all-Anne anthology Get Off the Unicorn in 1977, and a third time in the anthology Masterpieces of Fantasy and Wonder edited by Dave Hartwell and published in 1989 by The Literary Guild.

As of 12/1/2005, quite a number of copies of Demon Kind are available from online booksellers, with prices starting at $2.00 (US).  For tips on locating copies of this or other items, email Cheryl (address in page footer) or post a message at A Meeting of Minds.

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