Dark Origins – Letters to Santa #DarkOrigins #Christmas
Posted: December 27, 2023 Filed under: Uncategorized 52 Comments
Thomas Nast, an illustrator and cartoonist for Harper’s Weekly between 1857 and 1887 can be credited with kickstarting the process of sending letters to Santa. Nast’s depictions of Santa Clause largely shaped the way we now view Santa Clause. Even Santa’s backstory of being from the North Pole was influenced by Nast, who used his Santa illustrations to spread cheer to both the young and the old.
Picture credit: https://recollections.biz/blog/thomas-nast-santa-claus/. The image shows Santa seated at his desk and going through his mail. He is sorting letters into stacks labeled “Letters from Naughty Children’s Parents” and “Letters from Good Children’s Parents”.
This is an extract from a work in progress of mine titled Silly Billy goes to England. It’s all about Christmas letters.
“I was worried. Willy and I had only just written our Christmas letters and it was noon on the 24th of December. What if Father Christmas didn’t get them? I was sure his elves were busy the day before Christmas. It was all Dad’s fault. He shouldn’t have cancelled the plane tickets he’d booked in France. We would have gotten back to England much quicker if he hadn’t relied on the free flights provided by Eurostar. Mind you, when the trains were cancelled due to the snow, I thought we’d be stuck in Euro Disney over Christmas. That would have been awful. I’d had enough of the crowds and dirty toilets in the park.
Mom helped us write our letters as soon as we woke up. I had a list of ten books that I wanted on mine and a Star Wars Lego playset. Mom was pleased when she heard my wish list and smiled at me.
Willy didn’t have any books on his list. Willy wanted a Star Wars light sabre, the knights costume he had seen in Euro Disney, a police lego set, a wooden sword and shield, a big tin of chocolates (all for him – no sharing) and ten knights and a dragon. Mom looked less pleased about Willy’s list. He had no books on it and Mom said he was being greedy. She wrote three books on Willy’s list and didn’t add the last three items on his list.
Mom decided that now was the time to teach us boys a life lesson about being greedy at Christmas. She opened her laptop computer and Googled “letters to Santa through the ages”. A list of letters written by children from long, long ago came up in response to her search. Mom read them to us.
The first letter was written by a boy who lived in a place called Sumter in South Carolina. Mom said that South Carolina is in America. I want to go to America. I want to visit the Disney Land in America.
This letter was written in December 1883. Mom read the following:
“Dear Old Santa Claus
I call you old, because Papa says, you are the same “Santa Claus” that lived when Grandpa was a little boy, and he is over 75 years old now. Papa says that you are either at the North Pole, or in Norway or Russia today, he don’t know exactly where, but if I write you through the Watchman and Southron you will be sure to get my letter, as it is a very popular paper and goes everywhere.
Dear Santa, please come and see us once more next Monday night. Papa says times are so hard and money so scarce, that he is afraid you won’t be able to come and make us have a “Merry and Happy Christmas.
You mustn’t buy and bring us expensive presents, but only some little trifle to make our hearts glad.”
This letter made me feel a bit sad when I thought about all the things I had put on my wish list. The next two letters were even worse, and I felt tears coming into my eyes when I thought about the children who wrote these letters so long ago.
“Dear Santa
I hope you will enjoy your Christmas, as I intend to enjoy mine. O, how glad I am that Christmas is so near and that the dear child Jesus was born so many years ago when laid in a manger. I hope we will enjoy our Christmas better than the last one, as our dear good father die the 14 of Dec. We have miss him very much and will miss forever. I hope I will see him once again not in this world; but in heaven. Teresa Riedmiller Mom said that this letter was published in a newspaper called The Chicago Tribune on 22 December 1895.
The next letter that Mom read was from a time she called “the Great Depression”. Mom said that this was a time when all the people in the world were very poor. There were no jobs and lots of families were homeless and hungry. Mom said that throughout the Great Depression, which lasted for more than ten years, children wrote to Father Christmas, who these children called Santa Claus. Many of the letters asked Santa Claus for jobs, money or schoolbooks instead of toys and games. Some of the
children posted their letters to the White House in Washington D.C. Mom said that this is where the America president lives. The children hoped that the American president at that time, President Roosevelt, who cared so much about the American people, could somehow get their Christmas wishes to Santa Claus. Mom read that one letter to Santa Claus during the Great Depression was address as follows: Santa Claus in the Happy Land where there is no depression. The letter said the following:
“Dear Santa Claus, State street: I am a little girl, 7 years old, and I’m afraid that you won’t call at our house, because we are so poor. Father has to work hard all day and mother is sick and says we needn’t expect anything. Please when you are on the west side if you will just call and leave a little book or something I will be much obliged. You can’t come down the chimney, because it is too small, but I will open the door if you knock.”
Willy did not appreciate the life lesson Mom was giving us. He started to wriggle and kick the back of the settee.
Mom ignored him and read us a story that she said was written by a man acting as Father Christmas when he visited a boy in a Children’s Hospital on Christmas Day in 1960. This is what she read:
In the hospital was a boy called Bobby. When I met him he had tubes running every which way and had been in the hospital most of his life. Bobby looked up at me and said “Santa, what do you do with pain?”
I replied: “Well, because of my crooked fingers, I can’t even point straight to the North Pole, so I have to take Advil. What do you do with pain?”
Bobby said “I take pain and put it in a box and wrap it with tissue paper and bright ribbon and throw it away.”
“Why” I asked.
“I can’t show pain” said Bobby.
“Why not?” I asked.
“It hurts my Mother’s heart,” he replied.
Mom stopped there thank goodness. I had tears streaming down my face and Willy was standing on the floor jumping up and down, wanting to get going.
We put our letters on the counter and got ready to go shopping. There was no food in the house as we had eaten everything before we left for France. It was still snowing outside, and it was very cold. Dad didn’t want to drive far in the bad weather, so he said we would shop at the nearby city of Canterbury.”
About Roberta Eaton Cheadle
Award-winning, bestselling author, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, is a South African writer and poet specialising in historical, paranormal, and horror novels and short stories. She is an avid reader in these genres and her writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.
Roberta has two published novels and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories included in several anthologies. She is also a contributor to the Ask the Authors 2022 (WordCrafter Writing Reference series).
Roberta also has thirteen children’s books and two poetry books published under the name of Robbie Cheadle, and has poems and short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
Roberta’s blog features discussions about classic books, book reviews, poetry, and photography. https://roberta-writes.com/.
Find Roberta Eaton Cheadle
Blog: https://wordpress.com/view/robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobertaEaton17
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Roberta-Eaton-Cheadle/e/B08RSNJQZ5
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This story is sad but full of hope. The contrast between the well-off boy and the
poor children is a good way for young readers to learn awareness of other’s way of life.
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Thank you, Kay. I was my aim to draw this contrast in a not to obvious way.
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I love your cake with the Bible.
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Thank you, Kay. I made that cake for the minister of our church.
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A sweet story that provides a lesson for children who are open to listening. Perhaps this year, when folks have had to cut back, children will appreciate what they have.
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Hi Darlene, it is true that this Christmas has been less abundant that previous ones. I see it here too. A lot of people haven’t gone away so the malls and roads are busier. Wishing you all the best for 2024.
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Lovely stories and great looking cakes!
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Thank you, Danny. Wishing you all the very best for 2024.
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I hope you have a great 2024 with no one suffering any health
problems.
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💗
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Lovely story, Robbie!
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I’m delighted you enjoyed this post, Merril.
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You’re welcome!
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A lovely story with a message .. as many children not just this year but every year still get nothing or very little…as always love the cakes Robbie 🙂 Happy New Year x
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HI Carol, thank you, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. I’m looking forward to lots of chats and posts in 2024.
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Me too, Robbie we did have a lovely Christmas and are going to the village for Thai New Year …Happy New year to you and your Family xx
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💚
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❤
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Very touching. There are still too many kids who have nothing.
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Hi Trent, that is right. Just today, the helper I employed to help me clean up after the Christmas celebrations had to rush off home at lunch time. Her 5-year old son got hold of bleach and drank some. The mother was in a terrible state and I could only give her some money and send her to meet her aunt with the child at the hospital. So dreadful!
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That is awful! I hope he is doing OK!
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💞
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Thank you for this, Robbie. It’s amazing what comes from children. Heart breaking, but truthful. I hope you had a blessed Christmas! ❤ ❤ ❤
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Hi Penny, I did have a lovely Christmas and I hope yours was also good. They say only the truth comes ‘from the mouths of babes’. The letters are very interesting. These were three among many letters.
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Such touching and sad letters and story, like the letter from the 7-year-old girl who will open the door if Santa knocks, and Bobby saying he can’t show pain. Also, I like your cake art, and that you even put titles on the books in the first image 🙂
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Hi Dave, thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed the letters. I found them very interesting. I have finished Don’t lose your head and I enjoyed it very much. I’ll get my review written up soon.
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Thank you Robbie, that’s very kind of you!
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A lovely piece of writing, Robbie, with an enduring message and lesson. A shame that the gap between the rich and poor never seems to close much, and too many children in the latter group suffer along with the adults.
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Hi Dave, it is sad that nothing ever really seems to change. The general standard of living in developed countries is better now, but in developing countries, thousands of children go hungry every day.
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😦
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🤗
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The child who said she’d open the door if Santa knocked made me cry. Roosevelt must have had a heavy heart at Christmastime. Your cake is stunning! It’s monochromatic, minimalist perfection. I love it!
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Hi Priscilla, there have been some really terrible periods in history. It is never easy to lead through dark times. I’m pleased you like the cake. Thank you.
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This is a great story for a children’s book. It reads easily, evoked strong visions and includes nice lessons. Come to think of it, I know a few adults who should read this.
I hope you’re enjoying the holidays, Robbie.
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Hi Dan, thank you for your lovely comment. I’m glad you enjoyed this post. I am feeling much better now and the boys are doing well.
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That’s very good news!
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🌸
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Never imagined saved Christmas letters. You’ve intrigued me again, Robbie.
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I’m pleased to know that, Jacqui. Letters to Santa were a very big thing.
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I certainly hope greedy Willy learned his lesson. The story of the little boy in the hospital could melt a heart of stone.
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Hi Liz, yes, the letters are very touching and they are extracts from real letters.
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I love both your cakes, Robbie. This is a great story to show how appreciative we should be of what we have and not worry about what we want and/or don’t receive.
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Hi Carla, I did this research about historical letters to Santa for one of Sue Vincent’s Christmas posts a few years ago. It has stayed with me and that is why I wrote it into this chapter of a book I’m working on. I’m glad it interested you.
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Humbling and hopeful. ❤
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Thank you, Annette. I hope you had a good Christmas.
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I am blessed!
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This filled my heart!
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Thank you, Jennie. I’m so glad 🌻
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You are welcome, Robbie! 😍
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I thought our “modern” Santa was a little older than that, but how fun to learn about Nast’s contribution. When I was a kid we celebrated Sinterklaas and Christmas, so I know that there are a lot of different traditions and stories. The letters were very touching. A beautiful read for the holidays, my friend. Wishing you and Kaye Lynne a wonderful 2024. ❤
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Happy New Year, Diana. 😉
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Hi Diana, I was also interested in how the practice of writing letters to Santa came about. The letters I found were very poignant. Happy New Year.
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