The Dream vs. The Reality

Could I do it all?  I thought so.

- Write the book? Absolutely!

- Illustrate it? Why not?

- Design the page layout? How hard could it be?

So, imagine my excitement when Santa Skips Christmas!?! first started taking shape. It all began with a single question:

What does Mrs. Claus do when Santa is out delivering gifts?

Surely, she doesn’t just sit around knitting.  She celebrates with the elves. That one question turned into another.

- What if Santa stayed home?

- What would convince him to skip Christmas?

- Who would deliver all the gifts?

The story unfolded in my mind for months. And when I finally put pen to paper, to my surprise… it came out in rhyme. The rhythm found me. The words poured out. And suddenly, I knew—this story had to be told.

But I hit a wall: I’m not an artist. How would I find an illustrator? Could I teach myself? (Spoiler alert: I tried.  And at the risk of embarrassing myself, here’s what I managed to create.)

Big thanks to @ArtForKidsHub on YouTube—your tutorials gave me the confidence to try illustrating, even as a complete beginner!  And honestly? For someone who had never drawn anything before…I was kind of proud.

But I also knew I needed help.

So in the next few posts, I’ll share what I learned—and who saved me from myself to help bring Santa Skips Christmas!?! to life.

Looking back, I’m glad I tried—even if it wasn’t perfect. What’s something you’ve learned the hard way?