Letters to Santa

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[Note to parents/CRPs – review the lesson first to ensure that the information doesn’t conflict with what your young speller has learned about Santa at home. While the author was mindful of not including any spoilers, she still tried to stay true to the history!]

Among the many holidays celebrated in DECEMBER, Christmas is one that INCORPORATES many different traditions throughout the world. Wherever you live, if you celebrate Christmas, it is CUSTOMARY to decorate your home for Christmas, bake special treats to enjoy, and prepare for the arrival of Santa Claus. Every home has its own traditions, but if there is a school-aged child in a
home in North America, it is likely they will be writing a letter to Santa. While the BIRTH of JESUS CHRIST, the event that is celebrated by Christmas, happened over 2,000 years ago, the tradition of WRITING letters to Santa only dates back to the 1800s.

SPELL: DECEMBER, HOME, TREATS
We are talking about the tradition of writing what? LETTERS TO SANTA
If you celebrate Christmas, I said that it is customary to do what to your home for Christmas? DECORATE
Name a Christmas custom mentioned above. DECORATE, BAKE SPECIAL TREATS, PREPARE FOR SANTA.
What event is celebrated by Christmas? THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST
Name another holiday or event celebrated in December. HANUKKAH/CHANUKAH KWANZAA, ST. NICHOLAS DAY, BOXING DAY, NEW YEARS EVE (or other!).
Tell me about one holiday tradition.
VAKT: Look at the variety of images on the next page to note differences in how Santa Claus was portrayed over the last 150 years.

Name one thing Santa has in every picture through the years.

The earliest “Santa letters” were not written to Santa, but they were supposedly
from ST. NICHOLAS, who was neither jolly nor did he fly around with reindeer. Hand-drawn images of St. Nicholas showed him dressed in typical ecclesiastical [ek-lee-see-AS-tik-al] garments, and the images suggest that he
would discipline all NAUGHTY children. (By the way, “ECCLESIA” [ek-lee-SEE-ah] is the Greek word for church, therefore, ecclesiastical means something relating to the church!)
Spell JOLLY NAUGHTY
Who were the first Santa letters supposedly from? ST. NICHOLAS
What is the Greek word for church? ECCLESIA
(ALT: The Greek word ecclesia means what in English? CHURCH)

Early images of St. Nicholas suggest he would discipline the naughty what? CHILDREN
What’s another word for “naughty”? (possibly BAD, UNRULY, MISBEHAVING, MISCHIEVOUS, BELLIGERENT, or other!)

There is evidence dating all the way back to 1820 of letters of ADVICE to children signed by St. Nicholas. The character of “Santa Claus” emerged from the idea that St. Nicholas was minding children’s manners and behavior at Christmas. The first known images of Santa Claus accompanied a poem from a kids’ journal(which is a type of magazine) called The Children’s Friend in 1821. Here, too, Santa was ruthless toward naughty children and threatened to punish them. In 1850, FANNY LONGFELLOW wrote letters to each of her children on behalf of Santa Claus, detailing their behavior in the past year and what they should focus on improving the following year. Over the next 150 years, however, there was a significant change in how, and by whom letters to Santa were written and sent and how Santa answered those letters.
From what year do we have evidence of St. Nicholas writing letters to children? 1820
How many years ago was that? 2020 – 1820 = 200 (YEARS AGO)
What is the other word for journal that I used? MAGAZINE
What is another word for journal? DIARY, NOTEBOOK, CALENDAR, etc.

What is the name of the journal I mentioned? THE CHILDREN’S FRIEND
What did the Santa Claus writing in “The Children’s Friend” threaten to do to naughty children? PUNISH THEM
What was the name of the mother that wrote letters to her kids on behalf of Santa? FANNY LONGFELLOW
Fanny’s letters detailed what her kids should focus on improving when? THE FOLLOWING YEAR
What could you focus on improving next year?

From the American Civil War in the 1860s until the age of the internet, sending letters by post was the most popular way to deliver information from a distance. Letters would be hand-delivered to their DESTINATION by post office employees. The post office played a key role in the delivery and RECEIPT of letters to and from Santa. In the early days, it seemed like many of the letters to Santa were written by parents reporting on their child’s behavior. By 1866, an illustration in an American magazine called Harpers Weekly depicted Santa as living in “SANTA CLAUSSVILLE, N.P.,” and this gave children an idea of where to
address their own letters to Santa. It also illustrated much of Santa’s process for
checking on children and preparing their gifts.

VAKT: Check out the tiny writing in the red circle to the left, where “SANTA CLAUSSVILLE, N.P.” is first mentioned!
What other parts of Santa’s “process” is shown here?

Spell RECEIPT
In what decade was the American Civil War? 1860s
How many years long is a decade? 10 YEARS
Who hand-delivered mail? POST OFFICE EMPLOYEES
What kind of role did I say the post office played in the delivery and receipt of letters to and from Santa? (A) KEY ROLE
What’s another word you could use for the type of role the post office played? IMPORTANT, MAJOR
What do you think N.P. stands for in the address? NORTH POLE (possibly something else!)
Which American magazine suggested Santa lived at the North Pole? HARPERS WEEKLY
Where in the North Pole (or NP) did Harper’s Weekly say that Santa Clause lived? SANTA CLAUSSVILLE
VAKT: on a world map or globe, use putty (or pushpin) and string to mark the path of a letter to Santa from your hometown.

In the olden days, children asked for simple and practical items from Santa, such as school supplies and prayer books; over time, the requested gifts would include treats like candy and, ultimately, toys. Children knew to put their best foot forward when writing to Santa as it was the perfect opportunity to demonstrate good manners, kindness, and grace just by the tone of the letter. Such a letter would follow traditional letter writing ETIQUETTE (etiquette is the proper and respectful way to do things)
.
Spell ETIQUETTE
What types of items did children ask for from Santa in the olden days? SIMPLE AND PRACTICAL ITEMS/SCHOOL SUPPLIES AND PRAYER BOOKS
What expression did I use that means to show your best self or to make a good impression? PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD
OR What does the expression “put your best foot forward” mean?
What is one trait I mentioned that could be demonstrated in a letter to Santa? GOOD MANNERS/KINDNESS/GRACE.
ETIQUETTE is the what kind of way to do things? PROPER AND RESPECTFUL

Photo cred: Fundemonium Toys website

Give me one example of good manners.

Some examples of letter-writing etiquette are a proper greeting, which is also called the SALUTATION (like “Dear Santa”), an introduction (such as “I am Sam. I am 6 years old.”), a well-wish (“I hope you and Mrs. Clause are doing very well”), perhaps even a question (“Are you ready for the big trip?”), and, finally, the “ask” (where the child gets to make their Christmas wish). Some kids tell Santa about personal details in their life, and that is okay too. Often the letter is written or typed and signed as neatly as possible and includes a positive closing at the end (“Love, Sam”). The letter should be placed in an envelope with proper postage affixed to the top right corner, an address in the middle of the envelope, and the return address of the sender in the top left corner or at the back of the envelope. These days, I’ve heard Santa also accepts emails.

Spell GREETING, QUESTION, POSTAGE
What is another word for a greeting? SALUTATION
What did I use as an example of a greeting or salutation? DEAR SANTA
By postage, I mean a what? STAMP
Where on an envelope should the postage be affixed? TOP RIGHT CORNER
What question would you ask Santa?
What is another closing to a letter other than “Love”? YOURS TRULY, SINCERELY,
…etc.
Creative Writing: Using some or all of the tips above, write a letter to Santa.
VAKT: Prepare an envelope to put your letter into, affix postage, and put it in a mailbox.

The gifts children request from Santa have changed over the years: 100 years ago, a child may have asked for a new comb, while these days, it is not unusual if they ask for a computer tablet or a pair of flashy sneakers. Other serious factors can impact the type of gifts children ask for. For instance, the financial situation of their family may cause a DISADVANTAGED child to ask for something they need, like a new coat. A child whose family is struck by illness might feel compelled to simply wish for good health. Children that have witnessed violence may ask for peace. There are children that would rather give to others in need, and they wish for non-material gifts for themselves, which are things that cannot be bought. One thing is for sure, whether a person wants to impress Santa or not, everyone should try to be kind and GENEROUS person who minds their manners every day!

SPELL WISH, WINTER
What did I say a child might have asked for 100 years ago? A NEW COMB
What other item do you think a child might have asked for 100 years ago?
What might a child that has witnessed violence ask for? PEACE
Give an example of a non-material gift someone might wish for.
What’s one word I said everyone should try to be every
day? KIND/GENEROUS/MINDING MANNERS
(Creative Writing or Short Open) Describe one non-material item gift you would ask, pray, or wish for.

https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Santa-Claus/276889
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/canada-post-letters-santa-program-1.4419564
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/introduction-letter-writing
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/brief-history-sending-letter-santa-180957441/
https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/a-pictorial-history-of-santa-claus