“DEAR SANTA”
book presentation by Ciriaco Panaccio
as SANTA CLAUS
Sunday, December 1, 2024 - 11:00 AM
COUNCIL CHAMBER of the MUNICIPALITY of MOSCUFO
Ciriaco Panaccio, a bagpiper at heart and soul, is known as Cecetto by his friends and as Santa Claus by the thousands of children he has had the fortune to meet over many years of honorable service in the guise of the little man dressed in red with a white beard who brings gifts on Christmas Eve.
During the many Christmases he has been engaged, Cecetto has collected hundreds and hundreds of letters, listened to requests, and heard wishes as only Santa Claus can. From this unique experience, a small volume "Dear Santa" was born, which will be presented on Sunday, December 1 at 11:00 AM in the council chamber of the Municipality of Moscufo, in the province of Pescara, on the occasion of the XII edition of Melodies of Autumn, the Abruzzo bagpipers' gathering.
“After many years of activity as Santa Claus, I managed to bring to life a project I had been working on for a long time,” says Ciriaco. “Collecting some of the significant letters into a kind of 'memory.' In the spring, I showed the draft to some experts. The project received an enthusiastic response, and I was advised to seriously consider publication. I decided to self-publish, printing a quantity at my own expense.
The result,” continues our Cecetto, “is called 'Dear Santa' and collects experiences, some photos, stories of moments lived with children and differently children all equally fascinated by the character. There are some of the letters collected over time, playful, funny, serious. The book has no index because they are all 'chapters' in their own right, curated by Rosa Scurria, the 'Teacher Rosy,' responsible for the Born to Read project. Naturally, I am also directly managing the distribution.”
“The title of the book recovers and enhances ancient certainties,” writes Rosa Scurria in the introduction. “It is a poetic-theoretical book that revolves around the reality of living the Christmas holiday. Each chapter brings concrete examples, narrated live, reflections developed around the Christmas period.”
In short, a book that speaks to everyone: children, parents, grandparents, educators, and teachers.
A beautiful project by our Santa Claus par excellence, an event in which we of the Fontevecchia Association will participate out of curiosity, beauty, and above all for the great and long friendship that binds us to Cecetto.
Attachment: "Dear Santa".pdf