I am writing this one for a coworker who has a friend searching for a pre-1963 book that features a character named "Simeon".  One of the friend's cousins was named after the character in this book.  Her friend also said that both the expectant parents read this book, and it had to have been 1963 or earlier, as the cousin was born in 1963.  The friend is hoping she will recognize the title if she sees it, so all suggestions are helpful.

It is not the Simeon in the Holy Bible.  She knows it was some kind of novel.  It was not the Agatha Christie title Murder for Christmas, aka A Holiday for Murder and also aka Hercule Poirot's Christmas.  It is also not the Anthony Trollope novel. The expectant parents were known to read a lot of Nevil Shute.

That's all we know.  Can you help?