Santa's Workshop News

Merry Christmas Images Dear Santa, My name is Sofia and I am eleven years old. I live in Phoenix, Arizona, where it is sunny and seventy degrees on Christmas Day every single year, which means our Christmas card pictures never have snow in them, which my cousin in Minnesota thinks is "not real Christmas," which I find extremely rude considering Phoenix has been around a lot longer than my cousin's opinion. For school we have to make a Christmas image for the art show and I started looking up "Merry Christmas images" online for ideas and there were millions of them and they all looked kind of the same — same red, same snow, same you, basically — and I started wondering why. I have three questions. Why do almost all Christmas images look the same, even though Christmas is celebrated so many different ways around the world? Why does Arizona have so many deserts and cactuses when other states do not? Why do certain images become "the" image of someth...

Lena from Ohio Asks Santa About Christmas Markets Dear Santa, My name is Lena and I am eleven years old. I live in Cincinnati, Ohio, and every December my family goes to the Cincinnati Christkindlmarkt downtown, where we drink hot chocolate and my dad always tries the bratwurst and says it is "almost as good as the real thing" even though he has never actually been to Germany, which my mom points out every single year and he ignores every single year. I have three questions. Where did Christmas markets actually come from and are they as old as they seem? Why do so many German towns claim to have "the oldest" Christmas market, and how do we know which one is really first? Why did European countries split into Catholic and Protestant regions, and did that affect how Christmas is celebrated? Thank you. Lena Marie Hoffmann Cincinnati, Ohio Dear Lena, Your father's annual bratwurst claim and your mother's annual correction of it is, I will tell you, o...

  Can you tell me about the Capitol Christmas Tree? Maya From Washington, D.C. Dear Santa, My name is Maya and I am ten years old. I live in Washington, D.C., which my dad says is the only city in America that is not actually part of any state, which I find slightly unfair to D.C. but also kind of cool, like we are our own thing. Every year my class takes a field trip to see the Capitol Christmas Tree and this year I had a lot of questions about it that nobody on the trip could answer. I have three questions. Why does the Capitol Christmas Tree come from a different state every single year instead of just staying the same tree like a normal Christmas tree? Why doesn't Washington, D.C. get to vote for president like the fifty states do, even though the Capitol is right here? Where exactly is Idaho, where this year's tree is from, and why is it shaped so strangely? Thank you. Maya Renee Thompson Washington, D.C. Dear Maya, A ten-year-old who notices that D.C. is ...

Nadia from Jakarta, Indonesia Wants to Know the Purpose of Christmas Dear Santa, My name is Nadia and I am eleven years old. I live in Jakarta, Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world by population, which my teacher told us with what I think was pride. My family is Muslim. We do not celebrate Christmas, but my apartment building has a Christmas tree in the lobby every December because some of our neighbours are Christian, and my best friend Clara is Catholic and her family invited me to see their nativity scene last year, which was beautiful and which I had many questions about. I have several questions for you. What is the actual purpose of Christmas? Why is Indonesia made of so many islands and how many are there really? Why do some countries have one main religion and others have many? Thank you. Nadia Putri Wijaya Jakarta, Indonesia Dear Nadia, A Muslim girl in Jakarta who went to see her Catholic friend's nativity scene and came away with genuine questio...

  How Fast Is Santa's Sleigh? How fast is Santa's sleigh? To deliver gifts to children all around the world in a single night, Santa's sleigh has to move faster than any aircraft, faster than sound, and faster than the human mind can easily picture. The exact speed is one of the North Pole's best-kept secrets, but a little thought about the size of the task reveals just how astonishing that velocity has to be. The speed is not about showing off. It exists for one reason: to make sure no child anywhere is ever missed. The math behind the miracle Consider the scale. There are hundreds of millions of homes to visit, spread across every continent and ocean, and only a single night to reach them all. Even if Santa spent the briefest possible moment at each stop, the distances between them would still require a sleigh that covers enormous stretches of the globe in the blink of an eye. Ordinary travel simply cannot account for it. This is where Christmas folklore offers its an...

The Real Spirit of Christmas Ho ho ho! Well now, my friends, we've come to the end of our story. And what a story it's been! We've traveled a long way together, haven't we? We met young Mary, brave enough to say yes. We met faithful Joseph, who simply did the right thing, again and again. We walked the long road to Bethlehem, knocked on every full door in town, and found shelter at last in a humble stable. We watched a baby laid in a manger. We stood with the shepherds as the sky lit up with angels. We followed a star across the world with the wise men, and we watched a jealous king's schemes come to nothing. We fled to Egypt and came home to Nazareth. And we learned that beautiful name, Emmanuel — God with us. So now let old Santa ask you the big question. After all of that, what is the real spirit of Christmas? It isn't the wrapping paper, my friends, lovely as it is. It isn't the tinsel or the twinkling lights, much as I adore them. It isn't even, if ...

Santa Explains How The Wise Men Began Their Journey Ho ho ho! So that magnificent star was blazing away in the eastern sky — and far across the world, those wise scholars I told you about made a rather bold decision. They were going to follow it. Now think about what that actually meant, my friends. These were important men. Learned men. Men with comfortable homes, respected positions, and busy schedules. They could very easily have looked up at that star, nodded thoughtfully, made a note of it in their charts, and gone right back to their warm dinners. But they didn't. They packed their bags, organized their caravans, gathered their gifts, and set off on a long and difficult journey to find a newborn King they had never met, in a country they did not know, simply because a star told them He had been born. That, my friends, takes a special kind of faith. And a special kind of curiosity, too. Now Santa knows all about long journeys — I cover an awful lot of ground myself, as you wel...

Santa Tells Everyone About the Journey Home to Nazareth Ho ho ho! Well, Mary and Joseph had fled all the way to Egypt to keep their little one safe from jealous King Herod. And in a strange land, far from home, they waited. And they waited. Doing the patient, quiet work of keeping their family together until it was finally safe to return. And in time, my friends, that day came. Old King Herod, with all his scheming and all his worry, eventually passed from the scene. And once he was gone, heaven sent Joseph another message — yes, in a dream once again, because by now you know that's how Joseph received his news. The angel said, "Get up, take the child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to harm the child are gone." And just as faithfully as before, Joseph got up and did exactly as he was told. He gathered his family once more and made the long journey back home. Now, they settled in a town called Nazareth — the very same town where this...

Santa Explains About King Herod and His Worried Throne Ho ho ho! Now, every good story has a moment of suspense, doesn't it? A bit of tension. And the Christmas story is no different. So let me tell you about a fellow named King Herod — and I'll warn you now, he is not one of the heroes of our tale. You see, as the wise men traveled, following that bright star, they made a perfectly sensible stop. They arrived in the great city of Jerusalem and started asking around. "Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the East, and we have come to worship Him." Now, that's a fair question to ask in a big city. But it was exactly the wrong question to ask in front of the wrong king. Because the king on the throne in those parts was Herod — and Herod did not like the sound of a new king one little bit. When word reached Herod that strangers were wandering about asking after a newborn King, he was deeply troubled. And the Good Book tells us that ...

Mary Treasured These Things Ho ho ho! Now, with all the excitement of our story — the angels, the shepherds, the wise men, the star, the gifts, the fleeing and the returning — Santa wants to slow down for just a moment and talk about somebody who watched it all happen. Quietly. From up close. Young Mary, the mother. Think about everything this young woman had been through. An angel appeared and told her she'd have a very special son. She traveled seventy hard miles while expecting a baby. She gave birth in a stable and laid her newborn in a feeding trough. Then a band of rough shepherds came rushing in, breathless, talking about a sky full of singing angels. Later, grand wise men from far-off lands knelt on her floor and laid treasures before her child. Now that, my friends, is an awful lot to take in. That would be a lot for anyone! And the Good Book tells us something simple and lovely about how Mary handled it all. It says, "Mary treasured up all these things and pondered t...

Santa Explains The Long Journey to Bethlehem Ho ho ho! Now, you might think old Santa has the most demanding travel schedule in all of history. The whole world in a single night! And I'll admit, it keeps me busy. But let me tell you about a journey that puts even my sleigh route to shame. It all started with paperwork. Doesn't it always? The Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, decided he wanted a census — a great big head-count of everyone in the land, mostly so he could keep track of his taxes. And the rule was, everyone had to travel back to their ancestral hometown to register. For Joseph, that hometown was Bethlehem. And Bethlehem was a long, long way from Nazareth — about seventy miles, give or take. Now seventy miles might not sound like much when you've got a sleigh and eight flying reindeer. But Mary and Joseph had no such luxury. They had their own two feet, a humble donkey, and a road full of rocks, hills, and dust. No paved highways. No cozy rest stops. No drive-thro...

A football fan in Green Bay asks Santa's weight, what causes lake-effect snow, and how a team can be fan-owned A Letter to Santa from Green Bay, Wisconsin Dear Santa, Hi Santa! My name is Wesley and I am 8 years old. I live in Green Bay, Wisconsin, a chilly city by the bay where everyone loves football. I love sledding and eating cheese curds. My cheeky question is: how much does Santa Claus weigh? My geography question is: what causes lake-effect snow? And my social studies question is: how can a sports team be owned by its fans? Thanks, Santa! Love, Wesley (age 8) Santa's Reply Ho ho ho, hello Wesley! That is a cheeky one, and I love it. I am afraid a gentleman never reveals his exact weight, especially one who eats as many cookies as I do! But I will happily admit that I am pleasantly round and comfortably stuffed. When I laugh, my belly wobbles like a bowl of jelly, and I would not trade a single pound of that jolly roundness. After all, my round shape is simply pro...

Juniper from Portland, Oregon Dear Santa, My name is Juniper and I am eleven years old. I live in Portland, Oregon, where it rains a lot, everyone has strong opinions about coffee, and my teacher says we are living through a critical moment in Earth's history. I have been thinking about this a lot. I have three questions. Is Earth actually in a final countdown and if so how much time is left? Why is Oregon shaped the way it is? Why do some people not believe things that scientists say are true? Thank you. Juniper Mae Kowalski Portland, Oregon Dear Juniper, Juniper is an excellent name for a child from Oregon, where the western juniper grows across more than three million acres of high desert in the eastern part of your state and has been growing there for longer than Portland has existed. I want to start by saying this because your letter carries the weight of someone who has been worrying, and I want you to know before I answer anything that the person reading your lette...

Kareem from Amman, Jordan Dear Santa, My name is Kareem and I am eleven years old. I live in Amman, Jordan. My family is Muslim. We do not celebrate Christmas but my Christian friend Elias does and he told me about you and I thought your job sounded interesting so I am writing. I have three questions. Who is Jesus in Islam? Why is the Middle East called the Middle East if it is not in the middle of anything? Why do people fight over the same holy places? Thank you. Kareem Mansour Amman, Jordan Dear Kareem, Your friend Elias was right to tell you about me, and you were right to write. I want to say something before I answer your questions: a Muslim boy in Amman writing to Santa Claus because his Christian friend described an interesting job is one of the finest things I have read this December, and I have read several million letters this month. That is friendship working exactly as it should. Please tell Elias I said so. Now. Jesus in Islam. In Islam, Jesus is known as Isa ibn ...

The Real Spirit of Christmas Ho ho ho! Well now, my friends, we've come to the end of our story. And what a story it's been! We've traveled a long way together, haven't we? We met young Mary, brave enough to say yes. We met faithful Joseph, who simply did the right thing, again and again. We walked the long road to Bethlehem, knocked on every full door in town, and found shelter at last in a humble stable. We watched a baby laid in a manger. We stood with the shepherds as the sky lit up with angels. We followed a star across the world with the wise men, and we watched a jealous king's schemes come to nothing. We fled to Egypt and came home to Nazareth. And we learned that beautiful name, Emmanuel — God with us. So now let old Santa ask you the big question. After all of that, what is the real spirit of Christmas? It isn't the wrapping paper, my friends, lovely as it is. It isn't the tinsel or the twinkling lights, much as I adore them. It isn't e...

Santa: Why We Give Gifts Ho ho ho! Now, as the jolly old fellow who fills the stockings and stuffs the sleigh, I think I'm just the right Santa to answer a question children sometimes ask me. "Santa," they say, "why do we give presents at Christmas in the first place?" And oh, what a wonderful question that is. Let me tell you. It all goes right back to our story. Because Christmas, at its very heart, is about a gift. The greatest gift ever given. On that first Christmas, the world received hope, and love, and the promise that nobody need ever feel alone again — all wrapped up in a tiny baby in a manger. That, my friends, was the first and finest Christmas present of all. And then came the wise men, remember? They traveled all that long, long way, following the star, and when they finally arrived, what did they do? They opened their treasures and gave gifts. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They gave because they were overjoyed, because they loved, because t...

Emmanuel: God is With Us Ho ho ho! Now we're getting near the heart of the whole matter, my friends. Because there's a special name woven into the Christmas story — a name that holds the deepest meaning of all. The old prophecies said the child would be called Emmanuel. And Emmanuel means something simply wonderful. It means "God with us." God with us. Just sit with those three little words for a moment. Not God far away, watching from a great distance. Not God up on some unreachable mountaintop. Not God locked away behind palace gates where ordinary folks could never come near. No — God with us. Right here. Among us. One of us. And isn't that exactly what the whole story has been showing us all along? Think back over everything we've talked about. Heaven didn't send its good news to the rich and powerful first. It sent it to humble shepherds in a cold field. The Savior wasn't born in a golden palace. He was born in a borrowed stable and laid in ...

Mary Treasured These Things Ho ho ho! Now, with all the excitement of our story — the angels, the shepherds, the wise men, the star, the gifts, the fleeing and the returning — Santa wants to slow down for just a moment and talk about somebody who watched it all happen. Quietly. From up close. Young Mary, the mother. Think about everything this young woman had been through. An angel appeared and told her she'd have a very special son. She traveled seventy hard miles while expecting a baby. She gave birth in a stable and laid her newborn in a feeding trough. Then a band of rough shepherds came rushing in, breathless, talking about a sky full of singing angels. Later, grand wise men from far-off lands knelt on her floor and laid treasures before her child. Now that, my friends, is an awful lot to take in. That would be a lot for anyone! And the Good Book tells us something simple and lovely about how Mary handled it all. It says, "Mary treasured up all these things and pond...

Santa Tells Everyone About the Journey Home to Nazareth Ho ho ho! Well, Mary and Joseph had fled all the way to Egypt to keep their little one safe from jealous King Herod. And in a strange land, far from home, they waited. And they waited. Doing the patient, quiet work of keeping their family together until it was finally safe to return. And in time, my friends, that day came. Old King Herod, with all his scheming and all his worry, eventually passed from the scene. And once he was gone, heaven sent Joseph another message — yes, in a dream once again, because by now you know that's how Joseph received his news. The angel said, "Get up, take the child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to harm the child are gone." And just as faithfully as before, Joseph got up and did exactly as he was told. He gathered his family once more and made the long journey back home. Now, they settled in a town called Nazareth — the very same town ...