Santa Letters : Behind the Magic
The last couple weeks have brought so much extra joy, as the studio began accepting “Letters to Santa” in late November. To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Would kids actually write, and how many? What kind of questions would they ask? What will they expect to receive from Santa? Will my responses have an impact? And so on…
At best I figured I’d get a few random letters, maybe 10-12 at the most. The window to write was just over 2 weeks (November 27 - December 15.) In that time frame, “Santa” received and responded to just over 50-55 LETTERS!! (Which was a little extra challenging as I was gone for vacation for 5 of those days. (Thanks again everyone for your patience.) But as I went through them what I found was all I expected and WAY more….Humor, creativity, curiosity, joy, honesty, faith, and even a couple worries\heartaches. What I found is that I (as Santa) was more than just someone to write to for gifts. I was a friend to confide in, share with, and someone to help their imagination to bloom. As a sappy creative - I loved that. Below is just a few of my favorite questions (my approximate, probably ridiculous, answers) and other fun Santa Letter behind the scenes.
WHERE WAS THE FARTHEST LETTER FROM?
I had three letters come from WAY out of town, which was totally great! The #1 farthest came from Auburn, NE. The runner ups for 2nd and 3rd farthest were Franklin, NE and Hastings, NE.
WHAT WAS THE CRAZIEST WISH LIST ITEM?
There were quite a few asks that made me very curious how Santa would be able to fly around with all of these unique items. But I think the most far out request was for a Dolphin. (I hope mom or dad pulls through for you, Brooke!)
WHAT DID YOU DO WITH ALL THE LETTERS?
Actually, I took a photo of each letter and then sent it back to the kids. This was partly so if parents wanted to save it for a scrapbook or keepsake they could. But also I figured a lot of the kids would forget what they wrote. I wanted them to be able to look back at their letter and see that Santa really did read it and respond to * most * everything they asked or said.
THE MOST CREATIVE LETTER:
Every letter was very unique. Some kids colored pictures for Santa (which Santa did keep if they were separate from their letters), while others covered their letter in stickers. Each one was very special, but one writer in particular took some extra time on his letter creation. He cut out a scroll shaped writing paper and matted it on red paper. Both had creative cut edges, and he finished up by drawing a really great detailed Christmas light border. (Great work, kiddo!! You are a very crafty young fella.)
THE HUMOROUS, UNIQUE and CAUGHT ME OFF GUARD QUESTIONS\COMMENTS…and THE APPROXIMATE RESPONSES.
1) “I know that you are not truly fat. You have magic so you don’t get fat from eating cookies, and that milk probably makes you really STRONG.”
2) “Santa, how old are you?”…..”And Mrs. Claus?”
YIKES… how old IS Santa?! In my adult brain, I’m realizing that Santa’s been around a long while. (Fun side fact: The Santa legend began in 280 A.D. And also the monk he was created after, St. Nicholas, is most definitely dead.) But since deep research wasn’t in the cards during all this letter writing, Santa is 59 years young, and in the North Pole everyone ages MUCH slower than in the rest of the world. As for Mrs. Claus….well it’s not polite to reveal a lady’s age, so it was left at “she’s a few years younger than Santa.”
3) “What is Mrs. Claus’s first name?”
Ooof, another doozy. I DID research this one, but I found several answers that varied. So in my little North Pole world, Mrs. Claus is Mrs. Nanette Claus. (Nicholas and Nanette just seemed to roll of the tongue nicely. LOL)
4) “Do you have tractors in the North Pole? If yes, which one is your favorite?”
Absolutely, we do! There’s a lot of snow to move at the North Pole. As for the favorite, Santa loves all tractors, but he is a bit partial to red. (Sorry friends, Case IH family over here. 😉)
5) “Are the Elves too old to make toys?”
We have elves of all ages in the North Pole, and they are ALL excellent toy makers for as long as they wish to be.
6) “Do you eat a lot on Christmas Eve? Yes or no.”
Bless her soul she made it clear she just needed a direct answer 😂, but no, Santa is wayyyy too busy to eat a lot on Christmas Eve. Mrs. Claus prepares her feast for Christmas day when he returns.
7) “What are the reindeer’s favorite treats?”
Carrots of course is their main diet, but in my imagination, they most definitely appreciate a candy cane now and then!
8) “What is Santa’s favorite cookie?”
Parents, I tried to keep this simple with the thought in mind that you’d likely have to make whatever Santa said was his favorite. Soooo, while Santa enjoys ALL cookies, chocolate chip and sugar cookie are the favs.
9) “Is Rudolph’s nose always red, or just on Christmas Eve?”
If I remember correctly, I said yes, Rudolph’s nose is always red. After all, Santa wanted to make him a special reindeer so all the other reindeer would like him.
10) “Are the elves starting to revolt?”
This killed me. I literally LOL’ed. But no, the elves really enjoy the holiday season and what they do. They are Santa’s right hand crew in making gifting extra special.
Last but not least…..
SANTA APPRECIATED HONESTY
One of the things I was really impressed with was how HONEST quite a few kids were. (Of course, this was particularly the age group that understood the concept.) But so many kids flat out told Santa that they were perhaps naughty on occasion. However, they were of course sorry, and definitely nice more than naughty!
Santa explained that it’s ok to mess up, because no one is perfect. As long as we try to do better the next time! They all still got their “Nice List award.”
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE QUESTION?
I know every person has their different reasons for celebrating around the holidays and that’s ok! But as a Christian, Jesus is the reason for my season. Therefore, my favorite question was:
”She would like to ask Santa about Jesus?”
This question knocked my socks off. Particularly because it came in from a little girl that I believe was 2 years old. I thought it was a pretty unique opportunity to use Santa to spread the love and news of Jesus. After all, in my mind there’s no reason one storyline can’t be used to fuel the other.
WHAT DID YOU THINK?
I hope you enjoyed this little extra about the Santa Letters. Please feel free to leave your comments, or what YOU would have responded to some of the questions in the comment section!
Noel Photography and Design
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