I hope Santa gives points for honesty. My daughter’s Christmas letter reads, “I’ve been naughty and good.”
It’s the first year we’ve written a letter to Santa. It turns out, it’s the perfect exercise for a very chatty, slightly bossy, sometimes-naughty and sometimes-good three year old.
So perfect, that after mailing her letter, she wanted to write another, on behalf of the neighbour kids. I pointed out, reluctant to squelch her enthusiasm, that they would likely be writing their own.
“We could write letters for Papa and G-Lo!” she declared, her little face lighting up. (G-Lo is my mom — Grandma and Lois put together.) So we sat down again to tell Santa all about what her grandparents might like for Christmas. What opened up was a stream of consciousness — sometimes accurate, often not — and a huge new window into her brain.
“I am writing this letter for my Papa,” she dictated.
“He’s been good this year. Really, super good.”
“What has Papa done that has been good?” I prompted.
“He makes supper for my G-Lo,” she said. He does not, not ever. I wrote it down anyway.
“What else?”
“He hasn’t been hitting or pushing anyone,” came next.
Well of course he hasn’t, I thought. But this was really illuminating for me as a mom. We don’t hit in our house. It doesn’t seem to be a problem at school. But does her definition of being “good” mean you haven’t hit or pushed anyone? If I’m confused, imagine what Santa will think.
We move on. It turns out that for Christmas, Papa wants a toy doll that looks like G-Lo and some milk for the cows. (I obviously need to work on her animal husbandry knowledge too.)
For her part, G-Lo has also been good, and makes supper for Papa (this is true). She also doesn’t push or do anything mean. She wants a horse to sleep with. And they would both like to hear back from Santa.
I’m like the kid at Christmas here, waiting to see how that turns out. And I’m listening a little more closely to her ideas around “good” and “bad,” knowing these are difficult concepts for kids to articulate.
What I love about my daughter’s letters is that they allow a glimpse into her mind, at once innocent and mischievous. They showcase her earnest and honest heart. And let’s face it, the best parts of Santa letters are the funny bits. When she said she wanted a chalkboard for Christmas, I had to think she was just looking around the room and naming objects within eyesight.
And Santa, if you’re reading this, for the record, she’s been more good than naughty.
We want to share your letters to Santa. Send a copy to SantaLetters@GlobalNews.ca. We’ll share some of them on Global Edmonton.
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