What every kid is asking: “How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney?”
How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen(Walker Books, 2023)Good to Read for:sparking conversationhaving a giggleenjoying the excitement of Christmas with your child There are many mysteries of the universe for kids to ponder. I kept lists of all the strange questions my kids asked, such as Can you marry a woodpecker? and If we saw a demonstration of all the ants in the world standing on top of each other, would they be as tall as a skryscraper? [sic]. They sparked the picture book, Chalk & Cheese and its spin-off webcomic. Here’s one about Santa…
But back to that perennial question (and it’s a biggie): How does Santa go down the chimney?
It’s a brilliant question (and title for a book) brought to life by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen – the dynamic duo of fantastic, funny picture books. With their usual panache and droll humour, they present a series of potential scenarios as they explore and unpack precisely how the big guy in the red suit might do it.
On the cover, a confounded-looking Santa is on a snowy rooftop, staring at a chimney. A Santa – as illustrator Klassen explains – “who looks like he knows as little about the answer as we do. Everyone has told him he does this, and it seems fairly straightforward, but then you get up there.”
How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? is a fantastic example of a picture book that feeds children’s natural curiosity. Perhaps you have a child who is slow at speaking (as I – and one of mine – was). Books like this are a gift – so jump on board and seize the openings the book provides. Let me explain by using the title page as an example. Here, one reindeer offers a mug of something to Santa.
Is it a hot chocolate?
Milk and brandy?
Black coffee?
Earl Grey tea, perhaps?
It may seem insignificant, but unexplained details like this are a great way to engage with your child and start chatting. (The reindeer is seen later drinking from the mug itself – so maybe it’s carrot juice!)
There’s so much here for kids to consider. Written in a casual, conversational style, the questions posed create a natural story time connection:
How does Santa go down the chimney?
How does he do it?
How does it work?
Does he tighten his belt?
Or shrink himself down to the size of a mouse?
Klassen’s classy illustrations depict the various scenarios (I particularly like the one showing Santa stretching and morphing like toffee and stepping into the chimney a leg at a time.)
The narrator continues:
Does he go headfirst?
Or feet first?
Kids will giggle at the alternative – Or neither? – as Santa is shown with a bit of butt crack showing!
The questions keep coming and it really gets you thinking.
Should we leave Santa carrots as a treat (rather than cookies) to help him see in the dark?
And what about all those sooty chimneys – does Santa do his laundry between houses?
(Santa’s shown down in a basement, reading a newspaper in his underwear, waiting for the machine to finish.)
And if you don’t have a chimney, what happens then?
Various crazy solutions are presented, including sliding under the door like a sheet of paper and Santa folding himself up like an envelope (complete with a Santa stamp) before a reindeer pops him through the letter box!
It’s a brilliant question that really makes you think: How does Santa go down the chimney?
Millions of kids all around the world are wondering the same thing. And I love that this book never definitively answers their question. In a manner that totally fits the tradition of Santa, it remains a mystery. Barnett brings his string of theories to a close by acknowledging that the big guy in the red suit is a total enigma. As he acknowledges in an interview with NPR, “I think we don’t want to know how he does it.”
Santa goes up the chimney the same way he comes down.
And I have no idea how Santa does that.
But I’m so glad he can.
The whole concept of Santa is kind of weird. But whether your kids are believers, sceptics or in on the deception, this picture book about Santa will appeal. There’s just a hint of danger in the blackness of the night skies which contract with the cosy interiors which are warm and inviting. With its gentle humour, this newcomer to the Christmas collection will soon (as the Guardian surmises) ‘find a secure spot among family Christmas traditions.’
Tips for sharing How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney?The cosy scenes illustrated in the book lend themselves to a snuggly bedtime read – especially on Christmas Eve. (If you want to go all out, get someone to jingle some bells outside, too!)
Pair this with another Santa book to explore the question further (see my recommendations below). What other plausible (and implausible) explanations can you come up with?
Use the book to start a Christmas collection that you can share with your kids each year in the run-up to Christmas. It makes a great family tradition (and revisiting the books each year is like meeting up with old friends).
STORIES WORTH SHARINGHow Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen(Walker Books, 2023)Good to Read for:sparking conversationhaving a giggleenjoying the excitement of Christmas with your child Copyright © 2023 Mac Barnett (Text) & Jon Klassen (Illustrations)From HOW DOES SANTA GO DOWN THE CHIMNEY? by Mac Barnett & Jon KlassenReproduced by permission of Walker Books Ltd, London, SE11 5HJ GOOD TO READBest picture books about Santa
Father Christmas by Raymond Briggs
I’ve Seen Santa! by David Bedford & Tim Warnes
Harvey Slumfenburger’s Christmas Present by John Burningham
Emily Brown and Father Christmas by Cressida Cowell & Neal Layton
Careful, Santa! by Julie Sykes & Tim Warnes
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“Young Santa believers will love this one.”– Rachel Hodson, Goodreads
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