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Childrens Letters to Santa

Updated on December 19, 2013
Australia's Postage Stamps for Christmas 2010 illustrating a child writng a letter, and Santa reading one.
Australia's Postage Stamps for Christmas 2010 illustrating a child writng a letter, and Santa reading one.

A selection of children's messages to Santa Clause, or Father Christmas, that will enchant you, some will fill you with Christmas cheer, whilst others will leave you misty eyed. If you have trouble getting into the Christmas spirit, this is sure to be the cure.

The time honoured tradition of children writing letters to Santa, to let him know what they would like for Christmas began many years ago, but with most households now owning a computer, hand written letters are becoming a rarity. Messages to Santa can now even be sent via email - Santa has gone techno!

It is said that on average a child will write no more than 5 letters to Santa during their childhood and reflect their childlike belief in the magic of Christmas, a belief that many an adult wish they themselves had never lost.

Do You Believe?
Do You Believe?

I started this article with the intention to share with you some of the funny things children say in their letters to Santa, but as my research progressed, I found some of the stories that the children shared would wrench even at the heart of Scrooge himself.

The letters go beyond the expected "I want..." requests, and assuring Santa that they have been good; some of the childrens messages will enchant you, some will fill you with Christmas cheer, whilst others will leave you misty eyed.

Different countries have their own traditional ways of giving the letter Santa. In the UK it is tradition to burn the Christmas letters on the fire so that they would be magically transported by the wind to the North Pole. However, this tradition is dying out in modern times with few people having open log fires in their homes. The Royal mail has come to the children's aid by giving them a special address to send letters to: Santa / Father Christmas, Santa's Grotto, Reindeerland, SAN TA1. In Mexico and other Latin American countries, besides using the mail, children will attach their letters to helium filled balloons and release them for Santa to magical receive. Many countries including the US, Canada, UK and Australia will leave their letter on a table alongside cookies or mince-pies and a glass of milk or sherry as a treat for Santa to eat as he reads the letter. My own children would also leave a carrot for the reindeer.

Letters From Father Christmas
Letters From Father Christmas
Every December an envelope bearing a stamp from the North Pole would arrive for J.R.R. Tolkien’s children. Inside would be a letter in a strange, spidery handwriting and a beautiful colored drawing or painting. The letters were from Father Christmas. They told wonderful tales of life at the North Pole: how the reindeer got loose and scattered presents all over the place; how the accident-prone North Polar Bear climbed the North Pole and fell through the roof of Father Christmas’s house into the dining room; how he broke the Moon into four pieces and made the Man in it fall into the back garden; how there were wars with the troublesome horde of goblins who lived in the caves beneath the house, and many more. No reader, young or old, can fail to be charmed by Tolkien’s inventiveness in this classic holiday treat.
 

Many children try to justify their need for the things that they requesting in their letters such as these:

  • I want a puppy because they are cute, I want pjs because I need them, I want pants so people won't see my underwear. That is why I need those things.
    - Jacqui, 8, Illinois.

  • please send me pj's because we have a woodstove downstairs and my bedroom really gets cold at night and my nose gets almost as red as rudolphs
    - LeAnna, 10, West Virginia.

  • Dear Santa, I want my own room so I can do my homework or read and my brother and sister won't disturb me. I can talk to my friends on the phone and no one will hear what I say. - Delorah

  • Dear Santa, I would like a makeup kit so I could give my mom a makeover when she goes to sing. She would look awesome for people. - Aliyah

  • Dear Santa, the reason I want a Wii is because when it snows my sister, my brother and I will not be bored. The second reason is we could have something to do over Christmas break. My third reason is so my mom can get some rest over the break. - Briawna

  • Dear Santa, I want a Play Station 2 because I can play games that I never played before. Last Christmas I got a PS2 and my brother wrecked it so that's why I want a PS2. - Luis

  • Dear Santa, I already have old clothes. I want more clothes so I could have new clothes. I would also like puffy boots … because I have no boots. Another thing I would like for Christmas is more sweaters. I would like it because I would like to be cozy. - Yanira

  • Dear Santa, my second gift would be having my ears pierced. This would allow me to show I can be responsible. Also, so I can look better. - Katherine

 

Department 56 North Pole Letters to Santa Sorting Station
Department 56 North Pole Letters to Santa Sorting Station
Set of 4 Includes: Accessory, "Sorting Santa's Letters" and 2 Tinsel Trees. Also includes display anywhere lighting & 4 AA Batteries.
 

Some children just don't know when they are well off. Look at the comparison between these two letters:

  • Dear Santa, I would like some clothes because I don't have a lot. I need clothes to dress myself. I would like more shoes because I only have three pairs (my underlining). I need shoes to put on my feet. - Carlos
  • Dear Santa, I hadn't had a new pair of shoes since 2007. It would really be awesome to have a new pair of shoes for once. - Sara

The latter letter was written in 2009, and you can sense how excited the child would be to receive their new shoes. Two years is a long time for a growing child to go without a new pair of shoes; somebody must have really been feeling the pinch.

Younger children will often confess to a misdemeanour and express the hope that this does not spoil their chance of a happy Christmas morning. In Northwest Ohio, a postal worker, Kaye Aviles, has been helping Santa to answer his letters for about twenty years now in her own time and using her own money. Kaye's response to the children is that, "he's checked his list and has seen all the good things the child has done this year. That always balances out the bad things - which are not really all that bad."

  • I have been really good all year long but don't ask Mommy and Daddy if its true. - Sarah, 6, Colorado.

  • I have been good until last nite when the cat scratched me and I was mad at it and thought i caught mouse disease. - Mallori, 9, Nova Scotia.

  • I'm going to leave out my report card just to prove how good I've been! - Patricia, 12, Québec.

  • When you elves going to check on me to see if I was good. - Breannon, 7, New Jersey.

  • I'm sorry I was naughty this year but I can't help it if I get a really bad case of the grumpies! - Catherine, 4, Pennsylvania.

  • Santa, Sometimes I am disrespectful to my momma. I am sorry and I will try to be better from now on. - Daniel, 7, Mississippi.

  • Hi Santa, This is Jordan's mom, I told Jordan that she needs to act a little nicer if she wants you to come on Christmas. - Jordan, 3, West Virginia.

  • Dear Santa, I have been a good girl, but sometimes I am a little mean to my brother. Please give my aunts a good Christmas because my Aunt Trish is going to have a baby. My Aunt Kim already had a baby. - Jaydon

  • Dear Santa, I have been really good this year and I have tried not fight with my brother. He has been hurting and breaking my things. - Alex

Many volunteers across the world help Santa answer his letters and the following examples can really touch their hearts and are hardest for them to answer:

  • i love you guys and i hope you get me my presents. ive been so good this year i have cancer and i don't know if im going to live for christmas. please right back, luv kristin - Kristin, 7, Alberta.

  • But most of all I wish my Mommy could be here for Christmas but she is serving our country overseas. Please give her a note that says "I hope you are safe." - Angelica, 6, Washington.

  • I know you probably can't, but can you get my dad to come back to England for Christmas because he lives in Australia and I haven't seen him for 3 years. - Clare, 9, London, United Kingdom.

  • I WISH WE COULD HAVE A CHRISTMASS THIS YEAR ,MY MOM AND DAD WORK SO HARD BUT CAN NOT DO IT THIS YEAR ,THEY DON'T NOW HEW TO GET HELP BY I JUST WISH ME AND MY BROTHERS AND MOM AND DAD COULD HAVE A CHRISTMASS WE JUST MOVED HERE TO SO PLEASE SANTA HELP US COME TO MY HOUSE AND MAKE ARE DREAM COME TRUE. - Joshua, 9, Juneau, Alaska.

  • I wish that my Dad didn't have to die from cancer - Tanya-Louise, 7, Ontario.

  • Santa I also want my parents to be nice to each other - (Name and address withheld by Santa).

  • Santa, you know how it is nowadays, my parents are divorced, so please put me on your special delivery list to come 2 nights, Christmas Eve at Mom's and Christmas night at Dad's. Thank you! - Ashley, 7, New York.

  • my dad is on disability my mommy can't work because of my sister and mommy says we not to expect much for chirstmas. but my sister needs a new bed and new clothes. and a new bike. but mommy says we have each other and that is what is important. - Toni, 8, Indianapolis, Indiana.

  • My grandpa just died and everyone is sad. I want everyone to be happy for Christmas. I love my whole family and just want this Christmas to be happy. - Phillip, 9, New Jersey.

  • Dear Santa - I wish with all my heart I had a real loving family that hugged me and kissed me and loved me and never wanted to let me go. I want to be adopted and not live in foster homes anymore. - Lynne, 9, Florida.

  • can you help my mum out she would like a new bed for xmas because she always goes without so that we don't miss out on anythingtheir is only my sister & I that live here we don't have a dad he walked out on us. Thank You Santa - Emma, 9, Dandenong, Australia.

  • Santa be carful, we have holes in the floor. peple fall in them. I want to move. Mom says we are going to live on the street. If we are not here plese leve the presets at grammas. I love you! - Elizabeth, 9, Washington.

  • Dear Santa, I want a German shepherd because my brother died in my mom's tummy and I don't have nobody to play with. - Jasuè

Dear Father Christmas (Letter Writing Kits)
Dear Father Christmas (Letter Writing Kits)
A 24-page book, illustrated in Raymond Briggs’ soft crayon style, introduces the key skills of layout, grammar and spelling, while the themed stationery is sure to inspire children to put pen to paper.
 

Many of the letters children are requests of things not for themselves, but for others. There are adults that can learn from their caring and unselfish attitude:

  • can you please help the homeless children have a good Christmas with at least something really good to eat and maybe a small toy for them to love. - Andrew, 7, Massachusetts.

  • My grandpa has been very sick, please bring him a special present..… - Richard, 9, California.

  • My great grandmother lives in a nursing home could you please send her a gifrt? - Adam, 8, Ontario.

  • l would like if you to bring a toy for my little friend at school, they don't have alot of money, so if you can't l can give her one fo mine - Christine, 6, Ontario.

  • Could you please bring food, blankets and toys to all of the homeless kids. I was homeless when I was younger, but I've now been adopted and have a great life! -Ricky, 8, Oregon.

  • please make sure all the kids that don't have families get to be with someone special on Christmas and have a wonderful memory to keep with them the rest of their lives. Also the kids that live on the streets, give them shelter and love and happiness. - Victoria, 8, Ebenhausen, Germany.

  • Today I picked an angel of of a Salvation Army Christmas tree at the store. It's for a little girl called Valerie. I hope that she may get many more gifts than the one I am going to get her. - Amanda, 13, Pennsylvania.

  • Dear Santa Claus, I would like for you to bring me a motor scooter, baby alive and for my mommy to feel better. - Josie

  • Dear Santa, I have been a good girl, but sometimes I am a little mean to my brother. Please give my aunts a good Christmas because my Aunt Trish is going to have a baby. My Aunt Kim already had a baby. - Jaydon

  • This is a special christmas cos we have our uncle saied staying from iran and he hasn't had a christmas before, cos they don't have xmas in iran only new year. It would be lovely if you could send a big sack of grownup presents for him too. - Laylee, 8, Middlesbrough, England.

 

Not all letters are requests for presents, some express simple curiosity about Santa, his reindeer, or the elves that make the toys. Where boys letters tend to be just lists of the toys that they want. Girls letters consist of full sentences and are more inclined to ask personal questions about Mr & Mrs. Clause.

  • Dear Santa, it is that time of year that you come to bring joy to the world and we give thanks to God and Jesus for the joy they bring us. I am thankful for a family who loves me so much and who gives me love. - Kristina
  • How are you able to get down the chimney and be in so many places throughout the world in just one short night? I need to know because my mom says her Christmas dress is too small from last year and she says there's no time to go and get all the things done in time for Christmas? - Elizabeth, 9, Alberta.

  • You are very kind because you give presents to the kids of the world richand poor. Your also kind because you give the poor kids live and hope to play with the toys. They have lots of fun even if they don't know what it is and they are gratfull for life.
    - Tamara, 11, British Columbia.

  • Dear Santa, I know that Christmas is about giving not getting so I will give you some cookies! - Jenna, 9, Brisbane, Australia.

  • Do you have to keep a car battery and some jumper cables in the back of the sleigh,you know,just incase Rudolph's nose ever goes out? Well just to be safe I'll have some extra light bulbs next to the cookies.....60 watts ok? - Jessica, 11, California.

 

It is not just children that write to Santa, some adults in desparate situations will send letters as a last hope for help:

The Santa Letters
The Santa Letters
One year ago on Christmas Eve, William died. For Emma, the hit-and-run driver killed more than her husband; he killed her joy in life itself. Now, as Christmas approaches again, Emma Jensen finds herself sinking into a depression that nothing can breach; not her job, not her love for her children, and certainly not the season. Money is tight, and emotions are taut, and this year Christmas will be a meager, empty, and painful experience. Only six-year-old McKenna believes in miracles and the magic of Christmas. The rest of the family knows that Christmas can never be the same. But when a mysterious package and an ornate letter arrive on the doorstep, things begin to change. Each day, a package and a letter signed Santa arrive for the family, and together they come to understand that the joy of Christmas does not have to be lost forever, and that God s love can heal any wound, no matter how deep. The Santa Letters will take the Jensens on a journey through a Christmas experience that will have the power to heal them all.
 

And finally, some of my favourites:

  • Dear Santa, I know you are fine, so I won't ask. - Gage

  • When you come to our house would you sign my brother's cast while he is sleeping. That would be SWEET!! - Terri, 8, Wyoming.

  • Dear Santa, all we want is for the new baby in Mommy's tummy to be a girl. Mommy said if she has another boy she is going to nail down the furniture!
    - Kelsey, 9, Texas.

  • I love you very much. Please use the front door, we do not have a chimmney. Don't forget my Daddy gave you a magic key when I was born. - Thomas, 5, New York.

  • Thank you santa for making toys for little kids. Thank you to god for making santa so he could make things for little kids. - Tarryn, 5, California.

  • Could you please bring food, blankets and toys to all of the homeless kids. I was homeless when I was younger, but I've now been adopted and have a great life! - Ricky, 8, Oregon.

  • Santa I think you're the best person in the whole wide world and I love you so much. I'm glad thet you and Jesus get along so well. - Cody, 7, Evans, Georgia.

  • Whatever you bring me Santa will be nice enough, I know that I won't get everything I want; but the most important thing is that I have a Mommy and Daddy who loves me. Thanks Santa........Love, Caitlin, 6, Colorado.

  • TRY NOT TO WAKE UP MY GRANDMA, SHE'LL BE SLEEPING IN THE LIVINGROOM AND SHE CAN BE A GRUMPY BEAR! - Kelsey, 7, Alberta.

And to leave you on a high note:

  • Oh by the way, my cancer is all gone this year and my hair has grown back. You might not recognize me so I will leave you a new picture - Kyle, 6, South Dakota.

A very happy Christmas to you all and remember, Santa always listens, he may not give you what you ask for, but he listens.

Keep Believing!!

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