HOORAY FOR THE JOY-GIVERS! We always need more smiles, music and laughter. This fun series salutes those seriously unsolemn people, places and things that bring joy to the world. Starting during the pandemic, an oft joy-challenged time, readers are introduced to present-day joy-givers and reminded of cherished joy-givers of the past. Each salute will have online links to add more opportunities for happiness in the comfort of your socially-distanced home. Many installments of the series will include a salutary food or drink recipe to add another element of pleasure.
The “SHIELD THE JOYOUS” shields, which will be given to those honored or to their family, are inspired from a passage in “The Book of Common Prayer” (1662). Prayers are lifted to “tend the sick, give rest to the weary, bless the dying…and shield the joyous.” Joy-givers are precious. Let us preserve them, protect them, treasure them, smile with them, laugh with them, tap our toes with them and give them A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.
PLEASE GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR: LETTERS TO SANTA CLAUS
“The Most-Famous, American, Santa Claus Letter” was first published in a newspaper and we’re sharing that holiday note and reply here. But first, for some Kris Kringle chuckles here are some fun “Letters to Santa” from other American kids: From a future “Game of Thrones” fan, “Dear Santa, Could you possibly make it so I can turn into a dragon? Pleeeeease. Or, if not, bringing me a pet dragon will do.” And, this from a future zookeeper, “Dear Santa, All I really want for Christmas is a turtle because—TURTLES ARE THE BEST.” This could be from a Lady Godiva-in-waiting, “Dear Santa, I would like five feet long hair and you better bring my pony this year.” And, this holiday desire could be from a lot of young teens and tweens, “Dear Santa, I would like some Taylor Swift tickets and some pretty clothes. Also, a boyfriend.”
American kids have been writing wish-filled letters to Santa Claus for at least 150 years and mailing them to his North Pole address. Or, another idea is to leave a letter and a travel snack for Santa and the message wafts up the chimney to the jolly old elf or sort of mind melds telepathically in more modern homes which often lack a chimney. In Latin America, children tie their Santa letters to balloons. And, in Scotland, children busy squawking traditional carols on bagpipes simply yell their Christmas wishes up a chimney.
Now to that truly famous Santa Claus letter and the joyfully thoughtful reply we need to reread so very much this Christmas of 2020.
“DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, ‘If you see it in THE SUN it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?”
This was the letter 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon mailed to the editor of The Sun in New York City in 1897. Perhaps the most famous newspaper editorial ever written, here’s the glorious reply from Francis Pharcellus Church:
VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
Dear readers, please join me in giving “A Round of Applause” to curious, sweet-hearted Virginia and to the Christmas spirit of Francis Pharcellus Church.
As you write your own “Letter to Santa Claus,” here’s a recipe from Delish.com for some cookies to leave for the jolly old joy-maker. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!
SANTA CLAUS SLEIGH RIDE GINGERBREAD COOKIES
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2/3 cup molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp. ground ginger
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
- 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1/2 tsp. finely ground black pepper
- Sugar cookie Icing for decorating
Directions:
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat butter, brown sugar and molasses until fluffy—about 2-3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, spices, baking soda and salt until combined. With the mixer on low, gradually add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients as well as the fresh ginger, orange zest and black pepper until dough just comes together (don’t overmix).
- Divide dough in half and create two discs. Wrap each in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 2-3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place one disc of dough on a lightly floured surface and roll until ¼” thick. Cut out gingerbread shapes with 3” holiday cookie cutters and transfer to baking sheets.
- Bake until slightly puffed and set, about 9-10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Repeat with remaining disc of dough. Decorate with icing if desired.
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