The Santa Claus Man

Before the charismatic John Duval Gluck, Jr. came along, letters from New York City children to Santa Claus were destroyed, unopened, by the U.S. Post Office. Gluck saw an opportunity, and created the Santa Claus Association. The effort delighted the public, and for 15 years money and gifts flowed to the only group authorized to answer Santas mail. Gluck became a Jazz Age celebrity, rubbing shoulders with the eras movie stars and politicians, and even planned to erect a vast Santa Claus monument in the center of Manhattan until Gothams crusading charity commissioner discovered some dark secrets in Santas workshop. The rise and fall of the Santa Claus Association is a caper both heartwarming and hardboiled, involving stolen art, phony Boy Scouts, a kidnapping, pursuit by the FBI, a Coney Island bullfight, and above all, the thrills and dangers of a wild imagination. Its also the larger story of how Christmas became the extravagant holiday we celebrate today, from Santas early beginnings in New York to the countrys first citywide Christmas tree and Macys first grand holiday parade. The Santa Claus Man is a holiday tale with a dark underbelly, and an essential read for lovers of Christmas stories, true crime, and New York City history.