Letters By Santa

Letters by Santa offers parents, grandparents, and loved ones the opportunity to send a personally created letter to whomever they choose. The letters come postmarked from the North Pole (Alaska) with a write up of a few good deeds that the child or person has done in the past year. It's a great way to keep the spirit of believing in Santa alive and kicking. Come check out the site.

Letters by Santa is offering my readers a special coupon code -- STORM -- for $3.00 off the regular price.

The Real Magic of Santa Claus

Is Santa Real?  Eventually all kids will ask. This time need not be one of sadness and disappointment for the child or the adult.

The Real Magic of Santa Claus, will answer their questions honestly, but in a way that won’t leave them disappointed. The book is a lesson in love and sharing. Children come away realizing they are part of something special.

Not only does the author tell a bit of the history of the man (who lived over 1,000 years ago), but he offers fun statistics about Santa (like how much milk he must drink if he gets a glass at every child's house) that make it clear to children Santa can't be real.

Or can he? The author gently explains how Santa Claus is real.
This is an excellent resource to introduce children to the real meaning behind the magic of Santa Claus.  Anthony answers questions truthfully.  The book allows the reader to come to their own conclusion.  Readers soon discover that the answer opens up a new chapter in their lives. 

Santa is not a man in a red suit -- he's based on a true figure who has taught us to be generous and caring -- but readers do find that Santa is real.

The Real Magic of Santa Claus

Written and Illustrated by Anthony Canamucio

acanamucio@yahoo.com

Yes, Virginia There is a Santa Claus

From the Editorial Page, New York Sun, 1897:
Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

Francis P. Church's editorial, "Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus" was an immediate sensation, and became one of the most famous editorials ever written. It first appeared in the The New York Sun in 1897, almost a hundred years ago, and was reprinted annually until 1949 when the paper went out of business.

Thirty-six years after her letter was printed, Virginia O'Hanlon recalled the events that prompted her letter:

"Quite naturally I believed in Santa Claus, for he had never disappointed me. But when less fortunate little boys and girls said there wasn't any Santa Claus, I was filled with doubts. I asked my father, and he was a little evasive on the subject.

"It was a habit in our family that whenever any doubts came up as to how to pronounce a word or some question of historical fact was in doubt, we wrote to the Question and Answer column in The Sun. Father would always say, 'If you see it in the The Sun, it's so,' and that settled the matter.

" Well, I'm just going to write The Sun and find out the real truth,' I said to father.

"He said, 'Go ahead, Virginia. I'm sure The Sun will give you the right answer, as it always does.' "

And so Virginia sat down and wrote her parents' favorite newspaper.

Her letter found its way into the hands of a veteran editor, Francis P. Church. Son of a Baptist minister, Church had covered the Civil War for The New York Times and had worked on the The New York Sun for 20 years, more recently as an anonymous editorial writer. Church, a sardonic man, had for his personal motto, "Endeavour to clear your mind of cant." When controversial subjects had to be tackled on the editorial page, especially those dealing with theology, the assignments were usually given to Church.

Now, he had in his hands a little girl's letter on a most controversial matter, and he was burdened with the responsibility of answering it.

"Is there a Santa Claus?" the childish scrawl in the letter asked. At once, Church knew that there was no avoiding the question. He must answer, and he must answer truthfully. And so he turned to his desk, and he began his reply which was to become one of the most memorable editorials in newspaper history.

Church married shortly after the editorial appeared. He died in April, 1906, leaving no children.

Virginia O'Hanlon went on to graduate from Hunter College with a Bachelor of Arts degree at age 21. The following year she received her Master's from Columbia, and in 1912 she began teaching in the New York City school system, later becoming a principal. After 47 years, she retired as an educator. Throughout her life she received a steady stream of mail about her Santa Claus letter, and to each reply she attached an attractive printed copy of the Church editorial. Virginia O'Hanlon Douglas died on May 13, 1971, at the age of 81, in a nursing home in Valatie, NY.

From The People's Almanac.

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas - Day 14

This is a 4 ft tree in the entry way titled Jolly Ol' Saint Nick.

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas - Day 9

This is the ledge at the top of my roll-top desk. It includes some of my Santas and a 18" tree titled Believe.

A Letter to Santa

Dear Santa,

I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned, and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor, sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground, and figured out how to attach nine patches on to my daughter's Girl Scout sash with staples and a glue gun.

I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my son's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.

Here are my Christmas wishes:

I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache after a day of chasing kids (in any color, except purple, which I already have).

I'd like a pair of arms that don't flap in the breeze, but are strong enough to carry a screaming toddler out of the candy aisle in the grocery store.

I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy.

If you're hauling big-ticket items this year I'd like a car with fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music, television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals, and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide my secret stash of chocolate.

On the practical side, I could use a talking daughter doll that says,"Yes, Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with one potty-trained toddler, two kids who don't fight, and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools. I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting, "Don't eat in the living room" and "Take your hands off your brother," because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.

If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container.

If you don't mind I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family; or if my toddler didn't look so cute sneaking downstairs to eat contraband ice cream in his pajamas at midnight.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing and my son saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the chimney and come in and dry off by the fire so you don't catch cold. Help yourself to cookies on the table, but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.

Yours Always, Mom

PS: One more thing, you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children young enough to believe in Santa.

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas - Day 5

This is a grouping on a side table in the family/living room. I love the detail on this Santa. (Again, sorry for the lack of quality in the photo.)




I made these feather trees two years ago.

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas - Day 4

This is my favorite Santa . . . it's a Noah Santa. (I apologize for lack of quality in this photo.)

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas - Day 2

Track Santa

NORAD web site is ready to go live. The North American Aerospace Defense Command is again ready to track Santa.

On December 1, the NORAD Tracks Santa (NTS) Web site, www.noradsanta.org, will go live and feature fun holiday games and activities that will change daily.

On December 24, Christmas Eve, NORAD will begin tracking Santa Claus' journey via live video feeds that begin at the following times:
-- 3 a.m. Pacific Standard Time
-- 4 a.m. Mountain Standard Time
-- 5 a.m. Central Standard Time
-- 6 a.m. Eastern Standard Time
-- 11 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time

The Web site, designed by Booz Allen Hamilton, allows fans of all ages to get up-to-the-minute reports and streaming videos from key stops on Santa's trip around the world. Google software will output live images from NORAD's high-speed digital "Santa Cams," and Google Maps and Google Earth will follow Santa as he travels around the world. All of this information is available in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, and Chinese. In addition, for the first time, Canada Post will partner with NORAD to ensure children around the world can send an email to Santa through the NTS Web site. The NTS program is carried out with the assistance of many corporate partners.

The NORAD Tracks Santa (NTS) program began on December 24, 1955, after an errant phone call was made to the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The call was from a local youngster who dialed a misprinted telephone number in a local newspaper advertisement. The commander who answered the phone that night gave the youngster the information requested -- the whereabouts of Santa Claus. This began the tradition of tracking Santa Claus, a tradition that was carried on by NORAD when it was formed in 1958. This Christmas marks the 50th anniversary of NORAD tracking Santa Claus as he goes around the world delivering presents.

The NTS program has grown immensely since first presented on the Internet in 1998. In 2007, the Web site received 10.6 plus million unique visitors from 212 countries and territories. In addition, the NTS Operations Center, occupied by 1,012 volunteers on Christmas Eve, answered nearly 95,000 phone calls and received 140,000 emails from families around the world.

The Believe Project

The Magic of Macy’s at Christmas

Writing letters to Santa Claus is an age-old Christmas tradition for children all over the world. Macy’s is collecting these letters in a special Santa letterbox at all Macy’s stores. For each letter received, Macy’s will donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The Believe Meter (see sidebar), will measure America’s belief, based on our collective spirit, including the amount of letters received and other current events that reflect the season’s generosity.

12 Days of Santa - Day 12

12 Days of Santa - Day 11

12 Days of Santa - Day 10

12 Days of Santa - Day 9

12 Days of Santa - Day 8

12 Days of Santa - Day 7

12 Days of Santa - Day 6

12 Days of Santa - Day 5

12 Days of Santa - Day 4