Thsi seems to be loosely related to The Cajun Night Before Christmas, which is by the same author. I note that in The Cajun Night Before Christmas, one of the alligators in Papa Noel's team is named Gaston. However, this story does not center around Papa Noel, it centers around a more traditional Santa, who wants to relocate from the North Pole. Gaston, a flying alligator, helps him find his way. ( )

I'm sure that Gaston, the Green-nosed Alligator is popular in Louisiana. It is well written though it is loosely based on the poem, "The Night before Christmas." Some of the cadence and phrases are reminiscent of the original poem. Santa is looking for a new place to call home. The North Pole is too cold and all of the reindeer are either too old and feeble or just plain tired of the business. So "Old Santa and his elves picked a place on the bayou." Since thw reindeer refused to leave the Pole, Santa needed a new team to pull his sleigh. But what to his wondering eyes should appear but Gaston the flying alligator. According to the back flap, James Rice has written many other stories about Gaston. He seems to be a Paul Bunyan among alligators. Anyway, Gaston trains some other alligators to fly and saves Christmas. This is more of a parody of Christmas stories than it is a Christmas story. If you like parodies or if you like Louisiana, you will enjoy this book. If you like Christmas stories, there are better. ( )