Worlds are waiting to be opened. All Van Holloway wanted was to survive the night unnoticed. He didn't ask to be dragged to a Christmas party full of people he barely knew, or to end up in the same room as Charli McNichols-the girl he's had a silent crush on since September. He certainly didn't plan to follow her into a game that wasn't a game, wearing glasses that weren't really glasses. What begins in a crowded game room ends somewhere else entirely. Somewhere cold. Somewhere impossible. Inside a hidden world buried beneath holiday cheer, Van and Charli discover a place filled with clockwork toys, forgotten workshops, and secrets meant to stay buried. They stumble out with more than they bargained for, and something comes back with them. Now, the rules of reality are shifting. Time slips. Closets snow. Strangers appear. Something wants what Van took, and it's willing to do whatever it takes to find him. The green hat was only the beginning. From festive parties to frozen halls, from droids in Santa suits to gingerbread rebels, Van and Charli are caught in a battle between belief and cynicism, myth and machinery. If they want to make it back home-and remember who they are-they'll need to trust each other, hold on to what's real, and face the one thing more powerful than magic: Doubt. Christmas Presence: The Prequel launches the Claus Universe saga, blending sci-fi and holiday fantasy in a story full of sharp humor, suspense, and heart. For fans of Stranger Things , The Santa Clause , and Ready Player One , this is a bold reimagining of Christmas like you've never seen before. "This was a masterpiece! A prequel! A memory of the whole wonderful series... Whether you've already read the books or are just discovering them, this is the best yet in the series." Tony Bertauski began his writing career with magazine columns, landscape design textbooks, and a gardening column for the Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina, before turning fully to fiction. Influenced by a grandfather whose shelves overflowed with classic science fiction, his work explores consciousness, identity, and what it means to be human. In 2008, he won the South Carolina Fiction Open for his short story Four Letter Words. He is best known for the Claus Universe and the Socket Greeny Saga, writing stories that emphasize momentum, emotional connection, and unexpected twists, always with entertainment at the forefront.