Receiving Letters From Santa
Receiving letters from Santa is one of my family’s most enduring Christmas traditions. My daughter’s first letter from Santa was delivered to her bassinet, just days after her birth. Written on pale pink parchment, Santa welcomed her to the world and promised a future full of holiday magic. As she dreamed her first dream of sugar plum fairies, I slipped her premiere letter from Santa into a scrapbook made just for the occasion.
A year later, Virginia’s second letter from Santa arrived just in time for her birthday. After helping her blow out the candle on her birthday cake, her father did his best Saint Nicholas impression, ending the letter from Santa in a hearty Ho!Ho!Ho! Each year, her letters from Santa marked milestones in her life: he congratulated her on learning to walk, starting pre-school, and reading her first book. Another letter from Santa consoled Virginia when her best friend moved away. And every December, I diligently added her letters from Santa to her special scrapbook.
The Origins of Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas
In fifth grade, after a particularly skeptical young “tween” announced she wasn't interested in writing Santa, she received her longest letter from Santa yet. In it, he told her all about the origin of Santa Claus and how the tradition of celebrating St. Nicholas, and the spirit of giving around the world, actually gave him his magical powers.
St. Nicholas was a bishop in 343 A.D. who was revered for the importance he put on giving care to those in need and was rumored to place gold and food on the doorsteps of the poor at Christmastime. In the 1100’s, French Nuns began to give candy and gifts to needy children in the spirit of Saint Nicholas. As time went on, the tradition spread throughout the world and began to include young children everywhere. And almost everywhere, children made writing letters to Santa a big part of their Christmas tradition.
Letters To Santa and Saint Nicholas Around the World
In Germany, children write letters to Santa and include a snack of fresh carrots for the white horse or donkey he rides. In Great Britain, children burn letters to Santa so the ashes will float up the chimney and catch the wind to the North Pole. In the United States, the tradition has changed to include new technologies and it's common for children to send their letters to Santa via email. In fact, writing letters to Santa (and getting letters from Santa in return) is not just a tradition in the western world. In my daughter’s letter from Santa that year, he informed her that he receives more letters from Japan than almost anywhere else!
Letters from Santa Today
Once Virginia was over her “I’m too old for this,” angst, she delighted in her yearly letters from Santa. Though, as she got older, her letters from Santa did change a bit. As well as recognizing the milestones in her life (graduating elementary school, making the middle school basketball team, and going on her first date) they also gently teased and sometimes dropped little hints about the gifts on her list that she could no longer live without.... ahh yes, how did she ever survive without that cell phone? Now that she’s away at school, her letters from Santa come directly from the North Pole and often include care packages from Santa’s store. One of these days, the letters from Santa will change again. I imagine a time when Santa will write to congratulate her on moving into her first apartment, landing the job she’s always wanted, and starting a family. Maybe she’ll even make a little scrapbook for her own daughter's letters from Santa?
Holiday Talk
