Yesterday, I read a column in the Washington Post about the number of adults writing letters to Santa this year. Then, I saw several national news articles on the same topic. It made me equal parts sad, hopeful, and nostalgic.
It pulled at my heart to know so many this year are in such dire need they’ve reached for their last resort. Perhaps its in a fit of frustration. Perhaps these letters were written more for therapy. Or perhaps they were written with the deep hope they would truly be answered. Blind letters sent out to Santa asking for food, clothing, or a little help with the bills. It shows the true state of our economy. A far cry from the rosey photo the news media tries to paint with, “Spending and sales are up this year! Showing an upturn in our economy!”
However, the letters also gave me a ray of hope, in that they are being read, and others are definitely trying to help where they can. Strangers helping strangers. A hand held out to one another. Together we rise and pull through the tough times we find ourselves in today. There’s no shame in asking for help. There is only shame in refusing to help when you really could.
Nostalgia runs wild when it comes to letters to Santa. I remember writing a yearly letter to Santa in school to be published in the local newspaper for all to read. You’d ask for the hottest new toy and maybe a bike. Then half the fun of reading the letters is all the misspellings (which as a former newspaper writer is hard to leave in when you’re typing those suckers up!) which just adds a bit of fun to the whole thing.
I think deep down we all still believe in Santa. We all still want to believe there’s a man out there who every Christmas Eve travels the globe to bring gifts to good little boys and girls. We still, deep down, get up on Christmas morning and look under the tree to see if maybe, just maybe, that jolly old man made a stop by our house this year.
If I wrote a letter to Santa this year, I’d be among those asking for a little help getting through the next couple months. But I’d also throw in a wish for a new camera, and maybe some bubble bath if he’s got time. A couple new movies and a pair of new boots. A laptop with the newest version of Photoshop would be pushing it, but, hey, wouldn’t hurt to ask! That’s the fun of Santa, you can ask for the serious right along side the way out there stuff.
What would you ask for if you wrote a letter to Santa? Would it be frivolous or serious? A mixture of both? Its all a part of the fun of the season… so get out that pen and paper and write a letter. Who knows… some of it just might come true.
