‘Twas The Night Before Christmas….

Way back when I was a little kiddo, my favorite Christmas book was “Jolly Old Santa Claus”.  This sweet story took you on a tour of Santa’s North Pole workshop, showing Santa and his elves as they prepared for Christmas Eve. I loved looking for Jingles the elf and Whiskers the cat as the elves decorated ornaments, baked cookies, and got the reindeer ready for the big night.

I recently came across a reproduction of this book and have fallen in love with the illustrator George Hinke.  Take a look!

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George Hinke was born in Berlin, Germany in 1883 and learned a classic style of painting.  His illustrations for the book “Jolly Old Santa Claus” are done in oil on stretched canvas.  I love looking for the influences of Hinke’s German background in these paintings – Santa’s castle resembles the castles of Bavarian King Ludwig, and Santa’s elves remind us of the stone elves that often decorate German gardens.  There is even a Black Forest clock hanging in Santa’s workshop!

Merry Christmas, friends!