Scottdale author asks 'What does Santa look like?'
When you think about Santa Claus, who do you see?
There's a good chance you picture a jolly, kind old man with a white beard and a big red suit looking like he could have stepped straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting.
However, what if that's not what St. Nick looks like at all? Where does our idea of how Santa Claus looks come from? How can we know if none of us have ever seen Santa ourselves?
With her new book “The Masterful Plot of Co-Conspirators, Kris Kringle and Norman Rockwell: to Distribute Misinformation to Fool the World,” Scottdale author Patricia Gittinger wants us to ask ourselves these very questions.
The title teasingly suggests that the famed painter and Santa worked together to establish an image of what the mysterious gift giver looks like in order to give him the privacy he needs to deliver presents all across the world in one night. The unique format of the book allows children to illustrate what they think Santa really looks like.
“This book is a means to allow the reader to be involved in the artistic process,” says Gittinger, 65. “I want them to be part of the creative process and not just be a passive consumer.”
The book, in which readers become the protagonist, tells the story of a young child searching for the perfect Christmas gift for a cherished grandmother despite warnings from family members that ever since the grandmother was a little girl, any presents laid under the tree for her mysteriously disappeared.
What makes The Masterful Plot special is that unlike many children's books, this book includes no illustrations. Instead, every other page is left blank so that young readers can illustrate the book themselves.
“Kids can paint, draw, sketch or even tape in photographs if they want to,” says Gittinger. “Children of any age range can create inside the book and make a great memory they can hold onto for a long time.”
Gittinger herself is a grandmother of two and says it brings her joy to see children exploring their own creativity.
“My 10-year-old granddaughter read the book and now she wants to be a writer,” Gittinger says. “She even made her own magazine with illustrations.”
Gittinger is an advocate of the STEAM trend in education, which in addition to focusing on science, technology, engineering and mathematics encompasses the arts in order to create more opportunities for students to develop.
“Kids are naturally creative and they need an outlet that allows them to explore that creativity,” she says. “I think that the nature of today's schools tends to prioritize order. Children should be able to grow in any direction rather than staying on one particular path.”
For more than 40 years, Gittinger has worked as a nurse, specializing in preventative health education. At Highlands Hospital in Connellsville, she worked as a diabetes educator, and recently she was part of a diabetes management research study with the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health funded by the American Diabetes Association. Despite her commitment to science and health, Gittinger has always loved creative writing.
“In college, I loved to write and was encouraged to write more by my professors,” she says. “I published a few small pieces in college, but didn't pursue it as much. I never thought I would be writing children's books, but I've loved writing this book.”
Through self-publishing company Xlibris, Gittinger released the book herself.
“(The Masterful Plot) didn't take long to write,” she says. “After I finished that part of the process, I looked through several outlets to find one that fit me best. I didn't know much about the publishing industry, but it's been a quick process. Fortunately, libraries have been very receptive to the marketing we've used, and readers are allowed to donate their finished copies to libraries to put into circulation.”
Ultimately, readers learn that the reason the grandmother can never receive Christmas presents is because as a child she stayed up all night to catch a glimpse of Santa Claus. As her punishment, she can never receive presents again. However, she tells the reader that the joy of giving presents to her loved ones is even greater than any gift she could ever receive.
“I hope this book encourages readers to think about things that are established in our minds and decide whether they want to take them at face value,” Gittinger says. “Children could have an entirely different way of looking at things — what do they think? What ideas do they have?”
The Masterful Plot was released May 7. Gittinger will host a book signing at the Scottdale Public Library Sept. 12. Her book can be purchased in either paperback or ebook format from amazon.com and Barnes & Noble and will be available in local bookstores in the near future.
Kaidia Pickels is a contributing writer for Trib Total Media.
