Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, be plenteous in mercy is to have the real spirit of Christmas. Calvin Coolidge.

Tuesday 4 December 2012

Tradition of Writing Letters to Santa


Tradition of Writing Letters to Santa


For many years, there is a popular Christmas tradition in which children write letters to Santa, mainly advocating that they have been good in the past year and giving Santa a list of wishes and request for gifts that they want to receive, such as a bicycle, video games or a Lego set. The wish-list may include request of more than one gift too. There is a noticeable difference in the style of letter writing in boys and girls. Girls are often more considerate and wish something for others, are more polite and write longer letters and are more thoughtful and generous in their appreciation for all the hard work that Santa does, in their letters, than boys.

There are many postal services that allow children to send letters to Santa Claus. Some of them are even answered by volunteers or post office employees. In Canada, there is a special postal code for letters to Santa Claus. Since 1982, over 13,000 Canadian postal workers have volunteered to give answer to the mails for Santa and write responses. The address of Santa Claus is given as:

Santa Claus, North Pole, Canada - H0 H0 H0

Zeroes are used instead of 'O' to make up the characteristic laugh of Santa, to make the address consistent with the alternating letter-number format of all Canadian postal codes. Some charity workers, process requests of poor or sick children, and even try to fulfill the wishes they make in their letters to Santa. In Britain, there was a tradition that children use to burn their Christmas letters in the fire so that they can float up the chimney with the smoke and wind can then magically transport them to the North Pole, to Santa. Finland, which is believed to be the home of Santa, has already received over eight million letters for Santa and over 600,000 letters pour in every year from over 150 countries. The largest number of children who write to Santa are from Great Britain, Poland and Japan. In Finland, it is believed that Santa Claus lives in Korvatunturi but his official address is in Rovaniemi at the Arctic circle. Here, his address is given as: Santa Claus, Santa Claus Village, FIN-96930 Arctic Circle, Finland.

 

11 comments:

  1. Here's the list of 10 Adorably Hilarious Children’s Letters to Santa

    http://popcrush1057.com/8-adorably-hilarious-childrens-letters-to-santa/

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  2. Here is the site where you can write an email to Santa Claus:
    http://www.emailsanta.com/

    ReplyDelete
  3. Writing letters to Santa Claus and other Winter Holiday wizards has been a Christmas and Winter Holiday tradition for children for more than 100 years. These letters normally contain a wishlist of toys and assertions of good behavior. Some social scientists have found that boys and girls write different types of letters. Girls generally write longer but more polite lists and express the nature of Christmas more in their letters than in letters written by boys. Girls also more often request gifts for other people.

    In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries children in many lands adopted Santa Claus as the Christmas season Winter Holiday wizard and gift-bringer. In the 1880s American cartoonist Thomas Nast (1840-1902) gave Santa Claus an address, the North Pole. Soon afterwards American children began writing letters to Santa Claus, hoping to guide him in his choice of gifts for them.

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  4. The Russian Santa Claus is known as Ded Moroz. “Ded Moroz” translates to “Grandfather Frost” in English, but most English speakers simply call him “Father Frost.” He is a figure associated with Russian Christmas traditions and New Year's traditions.

    Instead of the North Pole, the Russian Santa Claus officially makes his home at an estate in the Russian town of Veliky Ustyug. Children can write their letters to Ded Moroz and send them to Veliky Ustyug in hopes of having their holiday wishes granted. Those who visit Veliky Ustyug can have their photo take with Ded Moroz, ride in a troika, and enjoy wintertime activities.

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  5. Here is the site to write a letter to Ded Moroz
    http://pochta-dm.ru/

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  6. how to write a letter to Santa

    http://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/primary-sources/339

    ReplyDelete
  7. Santa has many addresses, but he is definitely from the North Pole!
    Have a look!
    http://www.reindeerland.org/santa-claus/santa-claus-mailing-address.htm

    ReplyDelete
  8. With Christmas Day just around the corner, children around the world have industriously been compiling gift wishlists.
    But it seems there is no such thing as the average letter to Santa, as blog list25.com has revealed in a top-25 selection of the most hilarious missives:

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2078077/Dear-Santa-bring-presents-bring-batteries-Childrens-funniest-Christmas-wish-lists-revealed.html

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  9. 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.

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  10. How to Write Letters to Santa

    Children everywhere delight in the mystery of Santa Clause. The age-old letter to Santa can be a wonderful way for children to express their ideas and wishes.

    Before writing a letter to Santa, take a few moments to think about what you really want to include in the Christmas wish letter. Are there some things, other than toys, that could be worthwhile wishes? Have you been good or more naughty than necessary this year? Did you earn good grades in school?

    So, let's get in the mood to write to Santa. Put on a favorite Christmas cd, something lively with lots of sounds of jingling bells. Why not add a cup of hot chocolate with a candy cane stirrer. Get a piece of paper and a pencil (just in case you need to change a few things), and let's begin.

    Start by printing or writing your name and address at the top of the page. Always write neatly, so Santa will be able to read what you wrote.

    Begin your letter with “Dear Santa Clause.” It's always a good idea to tell Santa a bit about yourself. He's got many boys and girls to remember, and it can't hurt to refresh his mind. Tell him if you've been good, or bad, because you don't want to fib to Santa.

    Add in somethings you did that were special, or helped others. Things like, helping someone learn to read, or color inside the lines, or maybe you helped your grandma and grandpa work in their garden or mow their lawn.

    Don't forget to thank Santa for the things he brought you last year. Now it's time to tell Santa what you want for Christmas and why. Keep your list short, and only put things on the list that you truly want. If there are some things you would like Santa to bring for your family, be sure to add these to your list.

    You might want to end your letter by wishing all Santa's reindeer, elves, and Mrs. Santa Clause a Merry Christmas. Your letter might look something like this:

    Cindy Cinnamon

    123 N. Candy Cane Rd.

    Snowdrift, MT 99999

    Dear Santa Claus,

    It's me, Cindy! I was very good this year, and helped my mommy to fold the laundry. I tried to keep my room clean and always put away my toys. I helped my grandma plant flowers, and me and my grandpa went fishing and raked leaves.

    Here's what I want for Christmas:

    A bicycle with training wheels

    A fishing pole

    Big trucks

    A pink teddy bear

    Computer games

    Make-up Set

    Jewelry

    My grandma gets cold in the winter time, and I would like you to bring her a new sweater. My grandpa gets lots of snow and would like a snow blower.

    I will put some cookies on a plate and a glass of milk for you. And, there are some peanuts in the kitchen that you can give to your reindeer. Tell the elves and Mrs. Santa Claus that I hope they have a Merry Christmas!

    Thank you for all the things you brought me last year, Santa.

    Love, Cindy

    When you finish your letter, put it in an envelope and address it, or have your mom or dad help you. Send your letter to:

    Santa Claus

    North Pole, Alaska 99709-9999

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