It’s Dear Santa time again!
Every year since 2010, I have spent the month of December posting children's Dear Santa letters.
Publishing letters to Santa in the newspaper first became widely popular in the late-1890s, though scattered newspapers did so as early as the mid-1880s. I believe this sudden explosion in popularity was at least partially the result of the famed "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Clause" editorial which was published in The New York Sun in September of 1897.
In large cities Dear Santa letters often acted as a method of getting needed clothing and supplies to impoverished children when parents might be ashamed to ask for charity. Subscribers to the newspaper could choose a child’s letter and provide the items they asked for. The most common requests were shoes and coats.
Sometimes newspapers offered prizes for the best letter (which I suspect often acted as another clandestine form of charity as the winners were often letters asking for basic clothing and school supplies.) Though these prizes could range from the ordinary (a sled or a doll) to the extravagant (a $20 gold piece or a live pony.)
Often local stores would enter children in a drawing if they mentioned the store in their letter - which on occasion would result in children hilariously name-dropping every store in town just in case.
Writing Dear Santa letters was also commonly an activity done at school, often following some rough form letter. These letters are fairly easy to spot as they often hype up what a good student the child was and include effusive praise for their teacher (who would likely see the letter before it was sent.)
So why have I spent hundreds of hours of my life over the last decade reading tens of thousands of these letters?
Children's voices are largely absent from the historical record.
Dear Santa letters offer an extremely rare opportunity to see history unfold through children's eyes - in their own (often creatively spelled) words.
1914′s “Remember the children in Belgium” becomes 1918′s “Please visit my brother in France”.
During the Great Depression the very common phrase “I know you’re poor this year too Santa” gives a glimpse into parents' attempts to explain to their children why they might not be getting as much this year.
1939′s “Be careful flying over Europe” becomes 1945′s “Since the war is over you’re making bb-guns again right?”
Requests for toy flying machines become aeroplanes become fighter jets become space shuttles.
Dolls and wagons become Shirley Temple merchandise and Erector Sets become Barbies and Star Wars action figures.
But through all these changes one thing remains clear throughout 130+ years of letters to Santa, despite the rapidly changing world around them - children have always been children.
I hope you enjoy these letters as much as I do! (All decade+ of posts are tagged “Dear Santa” if you’d like to see more than just this year’s selection.)
I wish you all a wonderful holiday season! I hope you can delight in whatever brings you joy, be that family, friends, food or just curling up with a hot cocoa and a good book.
But whatever you do, please don't forget the true meaning of the season - feeling awful sorry for Patti.
Hapy Holadays and Marry Crimes!
