Dear All,

It’s been quite a while since I wrote my last blog post here on my website.

So many things have happened in my life in the last months -some good, some as bad as can be. My father has passed away, his heart was too weak to let him live any longer. Today, I’m more or less fine, but, as anyone who has lost a parent knows well, this is one of those events you will carry with you all your life. Not by chance, two of the new short stories I’m writing have as a main character a man with a heart condition. And you have to believe me when I say that I didn’t do it on purpose. Some remote parts of my mind led my fingers on the keyboard and told them what to do.

Then, just about a week ago, I decided to write a Christmas story – one still in the style of my Strange Stories, hence with supernatural elements – and, guess what, the main character turns out to be a father. Again, while writing it, I didn’t have my old man in mind. Apparently he managed to slip through into the story somehow.

I felt that writing a story with the symbol of innocence for excellence – Santa Claus – was a good way to welcome these holidays and the new year that’s about to come. However, as I love to intertwine elements of the fantastic and supernatural world with reality and social issues, in this story even Santa Claus has to deal with the economic crisis in some way. This is the beginning of the story:

“Graeme sighed. Another polite, perfectly proper rejection email which acknowledged his skills and experience but, basically, stated that he was too old for the job.

The receding line of his greying hair reflected back at him from the computer screen. He was almost fifty and the job market was kindly reminding him of this fact as often as possible.

A festive banner appeared at the side of his mail provider page, advertising the Westfield Shopping Centre. It was as shiny and inviting as a Christmas ad is supposed to be, promising so many wonderful gifts all under one roof. If only he had the money, of course.

There was nothing he didn’t like about Christmas: the presents, once for him as a child, now for his six-year-old son; the tree, the decorations, the turkey, the cakes, the gleaming lights hanging above London streets. He had always been in love with Christmas. Always. Until now.”

The title is: Santa Claus in Times of Crisis, and you can download it either by clicking on the title itself or here.

If you enjoy it, please share this link with your friends, so they will have the chance to read it as well.

In order to download it, you only need to leave your name and email for my newsletter. Don’t worry, I send very few emails, a couple per month at the best (or at the worst, depending on one’s point of view).

I wish you all a great Christmas with your loved ones. Don’t save time when it comes to spend quality time with them, cherish every single moment. There’s nothing more precious. Sometimes we have to learn the hard way.

Happy Christmas.

Thank you.

Alex R. Oriani