[LISTENED TO: December 2016] A Boy Called Christmas
S. brought his audiobook home for us and we started it the night we went to pick out our Christmas tree.
This is a delightful story of Nikolas, an 11-year-old boy living in Finland in the olden days. His parents called him Christmas, because he was born on Christmas day.
Nikolas’ life has been one of terrible hardship. His mother was killed when she was attacked by a bear (a bear that lingers around their house to this day). His father, Joel, is a woodcutter. He cuts enough wood for them to survive, but otherwise things are bleak. They eat mushroom soup for every meal and, in Nikolas’ whole life, he has received just two toys: a sled and a doll with a turnip head.
The only friend that Nikolas has is a mouse named Mika. Now, this may be a fairy-tale kind of story but even Nikolas can’t understand Mika’s squeaks (although we can). Mika is constantly on a quest for cheese–even though he has never tasted it.
Joel has noticed a man, a hunter, in their vicinity. He turns out to be an excellent bowman with silver arrows. In fact, once, when the bear that killed Nikolas’ mother is nearby, an arrow flies through the air and scares off the bear, saving Nikolas’ life. The hunter finally comes to their house with a proposition for Joel.
The hunter is on a quest on behalf of the king. They are setting off to prove that Elfhelm, the mythical land of elves, really does exist. If they can bring proof to the king, they will be incredibly rich men. Joel and Nikolas believe very strongly in magic and in Elfhellm, and after much hemming and hawing, Joel decides to go on the quest.
This leaves Nikolas alone (with Mika). So Joel calls his sister Aunt Carlotta to watch over Nikolas while he is gone.
There’s a lot of villains in the story, but Aunt Carlotta might be the worst of them. She is mean from the start. She takes all of the cushions for herself and forces Nikolas to sleep outside. He is put to work immediately–gathering food and firewood–and cooking for her. And finally she reveals that the only reason she came is because if his father does return–which she doubts–he will give her a lot of money. As the section with Aunt Carlotta continues, she commits the gravest sin imaginable. And that’s when the last straw is broken and Nikolas leaves. (more…)
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