Did You Know Santa Wrote Letters?

Since I had Wee One, Santa has been a problem. By which I mean, should I tell her he exists? Am I lying to her? Am I fooling her? My large concern is if I am hurting her, of course, and I’ve struggled to find a way to share this with her without hurting her.

I’ve asked folks what they have done and how they see it, and surprisingly, have gotten some ugly comments, defensive and sometimes insulting. People are really defensive about Santa.

But for a holiday like Christmas, I want to create, for WO, memories that evoke feelings of warmth and love, like I have. And so, in the spirit of J.R.R. Tolkein‘s Christmas letters, Santa has left Wee One her first letter.

Dear Evelyn,

Hello. My name is Santa Claus, and as this is the first time I’m writing, I wanted to introduce myself. Like you, I am a child of God, based on the memory of a man, St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas was know for compassion and generosity, and had a reputation for giving gifts anonymously. He was the living example of Jesus Christ, the son of God whose birthday we celebrate today.

Alas, my efforts to put presents together on time were hindered by the error of one of my more earnest yet troublesome helpers, Walter. He misspelled the word “JOY” as he assembled the blocks. He spelled “JOO.”

It set us back a week.

You are both observant and thoughtful. Perhaps you can help Walter learn this? He does so want to help.

Your friend, Santa.

I’m hoping that, every year, the letters will get better and more imaginative, like Tolkien’s original.

She didn’t really get it when I read it to her, of course. She crumpled it and tried to bite one corner, but I had a lot of fun writing it. I felt a lot of love and and imagination writing it, and those are the greatest gifts I would like to give her.