Local author on a mission to keep ‘Christ in Christmas’

Harry B. Knights never imagined a simple college assignment would morph into a best-selling Christmas children’s book.

And now years later, the Hendersonville resident and author is hoping for another miracle. He wants to turn “The Boy with a Wish” into an animated Christmas special next year.

“I believe in Christmas and I believe in Santa,” Knights said. “For nearly 20 years since my story was first published, the main mission of the book has been to show that Santa exists to honor the birth of Christ, and my story does that in a way that’s understandable to young kids.”

Knights and his team have started an online fundraiser through Kickstarter.com to raise the funds needed for production. Project Nicholas needs more than $1 million to get off the ground, according to their Kickstarter page at http://kck.st/1sRgrLl.

Currently, they have raised just $1,198, but the group is counting on the Christian community to help them tell the story of Christmas through the magic of animation.

“For the past five years, we have worked through traditional production channels to get the story animated,” he said. “Though we did have great interest, creative control over the message to keep Christ in Christmas has always been the challenge. Last year, it became obvious that the only way to get this done was through crowd funding within the Christian community.”

“The Boy With a Wish” book has been listed on the nationally recognized Accelerated Reader program that is used universally as a selection tool for reading lists in public and private schools, and won the prestigious Bock Book Award given out annually by Neumann University.

In addition to helping kids learn about the true meaning of Christmas, the book helps children learn why bullying is bad and also helps them learn about death and heaven in a way that they can comprehend.

“I’ve had the privilege to do many book signings and read my book aloud in schools, and it always amazes me to see what kids learn from the book,” Knights said. “Their questions really show how they start to understand so many things that children have a hard time comprehending.”

Knights said any donation, big or small, will help bring the project to life.

“We are dedicated to bringing this magical story to even more people through animated broadcasts online, on TV and also DVD to help everyone remember that Jesus is the reason for the season,” he said.