Santa Claus is forced to carry out market research on how families enjoyed Christmas. (Note: this is set in a Southern Hemisphere country, where Christmas is celebrated in summer.)
Albert Namatjira (1902–1959) was an Aboriginal painter from Central Australia. Widely considered one of the most notable Australian artists, he pioneered contemporary indigenous art. He was the first Aboriginal artist to become widely popular, and the first of his people to be given Australian citizenship rights, a mixed blessing. (See Wikipedia.) Time gets bent a little in this retelling.
How to get a taxi driver’s licence the easy way! This story is 100% true, dating from a time I lived in Sydney in the late 1960s. Names are not changed to protect the innocent – there were no innocent.
Every Christmas, Father McEvoy – the humble priest of an inner-city church – assembles a small crib or tableau for his people. It features the usual characters – Mary, Joseph, the Christ-child, animals and shepherds. But this year it comes to life in an unexpected fashion.
Life is normally harmonious at Poggitty Farm, where the animals run the place themselves. (I sugggest you read “The Poggitty Farm Choir” first, if you haven’t already done so.) This time, a hard winter brings a strange visitor, and an even stranger consequence.
After their harrowing trials on Black Star, Ryan and Eclair return home to the Fire Ministry. Ryan puts aside his feelings for Eclair to train with Zanderius Alastar, the Prime Minister of Elemency. His goal, to attain ultimate power in order to finally defeat the Dark Dragon Lord and avenge his family. Meanwhile, on the distant planet of Atlantis, home of the Merfolk, a sinister plot is underway that could spell dire consequences for the entire universe.
Poggitty Farm is a most unusual place. The animals run the entire farm themselves, and life runs very smoothly. That is, until one day a stranger showed up with a promise to make the animals famous.