Dear Santa, I just wanted to say...
I stole John Roedel’s brilliant idea after reading his lovely post Dear Santa, Bring Me A Softer Heart and even bringing it to my latest journal group workshop.
Then, I decided to write my own letter.
I haven’t written to Santa in more than 40 years and other than John, I suspect there are very few of us adults-so-busy-in-our-lives who have written to him.
But John’s idea struck me right in my sweet spot - my kid heart. And I realized there were a few things I wanted to say.
Here is my letter to the man in the red suit.
Dear Santa,
I wanted you to know I have never forgotten you, even if you haven’t heard from me in eons. No, I’m not partaking in the narratives about you being a patriarchal, creepy, old, fat white man who manipulates children, and while I can understand their perspective, I refuse to join in.
Because for me, Santa, you brought Light and Magic into my childhood that I was desperate to hold onto, maybe even forever.
For me, that day and the days leading up to it was all about you (and yes, Mrs. Claus though she was mysteriously and perhaps not rightfully in your shadow…that’s for another letter, another time.)
For me, that time of year was about empty stockings that became magically filled overnight; it was about your spectacular flying(!!) reindeer, and the red nose glowing from our rooftop and how my sister would always wake me to tell me that I ‘just missed him’. It was about that crazy sled that I bet was better than any magic carpet ride and yes, it was even about your weird little elves and how hard they must have worked for all of us. Although I felt sad for odd little Hermie who had a greater calling, and happy when he found his way!
For me, that time of year was less about Baby Jesus (sorry Mom) and all about hope and magic and maybe, just maybe a day of peace in our home.
The anticipation of your arrival was electric as the count down on the advent calendar assured me you were close. The faith I held that you would not-in-a-million-years skip over my house even if I was a sinner, (which I’m pretty sure I was, you know, the bad words I swore and being mad at my brother and stuff). The impossibility of all those cookies and milk you would eat in a night and how did you not barf it all up and how did you make it to all of our houses and, and, and?!
You, Santa, filled my child heart with enchantment, wonder and hope.
You were the deus ex machina, albeit not a surprise, but I did cross my fingers and toes that you (and not God because he never listened to me anyway otherwise I wouldn’t have had to ask you) - but that you and Rudolph and your little eager elves and Mrs. Claus too, would sprinkle magic over our home and make all the scary stuff happening inside go away. You didn’t - my goodness, you couldn’t - I mean if God wasn’t fixing that stuff, how could I expect you and your crew to?
But still, you managed to shine a pretty darn nice amount of light in the darkness and that’s the best anyone can do. Even you. And maybe you aren’t real but to me, and likely millions of other kids, you were and in many ways that was enough for us to believe in a whole lot of good things.
So, Dear Santa, I’d like to end this letter to the sweet tune of Abba’s Thank You For The Music, and hope you and your elves and Mrs.Claus (is she still around?) sing along as you read it.
[Chorus]
So I say thank you for the magic, the hope it gave me
Thanks for all the light you brought us
Who can live without it? I ask in all honesty
What would life be?
Without the hope and the light, what are we?
So I say thank you for the magic, for giving it to me.
P.S. This is my first Christmas without my Bella a.k.a BellyButton, so if you’ve got a little magic to spare, please send me a little extra joy and peace…although honestly, Santa, I’d like to ask if you’d send it to all of us this year. Please and thank you. Merry Ho Ho.
Dear Reader, if you wrote a letter to Santa now, what is one thing you’d say in that letter? Please share in the comments!
That was absolutely lovely. I hope that perhaps you can get a wonderful visit from Bella in your dreams for Christmas!.