“In the old days, Santa didn’t have Christmas.” After a year of making toys and delivering them on Christmas Eve, Santa would awaken on Christmas morning and start in on the next year’s gifts. It wasn’t until a passing polar bear questioned Santa’s relentless schedule that the embarrassed elves decided it was past time for a change. This year, Santa’s Christmas day begins with breakfast in bed followed by picking out and decorating a tree, hanging stockings, and cookie baking. Initially surprised by the new routine, a genial Santa is soon fully engaged and must be sent to another room when caught putting his fingers in the cookie icing. When a bearded visitor wearing a red suit (the polar bear who started it all) delivers a sack of gifts, “Santa could tell who it was, but he didn’t say.” A sumptuous dinner and the North Pole village glowing with holiday lights round out the day of appreciation and celebration. Warm watercolor and gouache illustrations convey a homey atmosphere brimming with charming details and glowing with first sunlight and then candle flames as the day progresses into night and a new tradition is firmly ensconced.