Something wonderful happened to Nick Kelsh last Christmas Eve. He became Santa Claus. Donning appropriate red suit, boots, and beard, he knocked on a friend's front door and brought magic to the gathering. "Who are you?" they all asked, and he told them the truth: "I am Santa Claus." When the festivities were over, Kelsh knew that he had discovered the greatest gift of all - and now he'd like to share it with you. In How to Be Santa Claus, Nick Kelsh shows you how simple it is to become the Big Man. Written in the same witty, user-friendly style that characterizes his enormously successful How to Photograph Your Baby and How to Photograph Your Family, this lighthearted manual takes you step-by-step through the process. It all begins with the beard; no cheap cotton floss here - go for a good one, advises Kelsh. And no flimsy boots, either - remember, Santa is a working man with many miles to travel in a single night. Once you have the outfit down, it's time to assume the persona. Ho, ho, ho? No, no, no! A real Santa has a laugh hearty enough to make his substantial belly jiggle. Kelsh even provides a complete Santa dossier to help you answer such pesky questions as "Where's Rudolph?" How to Be Santa Claus is the perfect book to melt away holiday stress. Spend a day as Santa and you will learn - as Kelsh did - that a thoughtful gesture is the greatest gift of all, for giver and receiver both.
NICK KELSH is the author/photographer and brains behind www.howtophotographyourbaby.com.
He grew up in Fargo, North Dakota as the second of five babies of Bud and Joyce Kelsh. Nick learned photography on the Leica his dad brought home from World War II and knew he was going to be a professional photographer when he was fifteen.
First Nick wanted to be a war photographer. Then he wanted to be a fashion photographer. Then he wanted to be a photo illustrator, whatever that is. He finally attended the University of Missouri School of Journalism and worked as a photojournalist for several newspapers around the country finishing with The Philadelphia Inquirer. Now he's one of the country's leading experts on baby photography. This makes no sense.
Nick is the author/photographer of nine books including Naked Babies with Anna Quindlen, How to Photograph Your Baby, How to Photograph Your Life, and The Sense of Wonder by Rachel Carson. He has appeared on Oprah! and The Today Show multiple times. His photographs have appeared on several of the covers of the prestigious Day in the Life series and in dozens of major magazines.
He is currently a partner in the Philadelphia-based graphic design firm Kelsh Wilson Design.
Nick's wife, Anne, is the second of five babies of George and Linda Morgan of Walton, New York. He has three sons, Chaz, Alexander, and Teddy -- the incredible, beautiful, smiling face on the How to Photograph Your Baby DVD disc.
