is teaching them to worship a false idol?
i mean they write letters, wishing for things. they leave cookies and milk (sacrifices?) And not to mention all the paraphernalia.
and what does it do to their minds when they find out he isnt real, but we want them to believe that God is….
any thoughts?
dreamdre…i liked your answer until the end…sarcasm?
this was a big decision in my life and my children when i became saved last year. i am a christian.
i teach them how we give gifts like the wisemen, the candy cane was historically made to represent the shepherd’s hook, and then the star…of course, when Jesus was born.
Christian or not, the meaning of Christmas has been loss, and should be reconsidered.

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No joke I really wantt to know! I don’t want to bother to send a letter if my moms paying for it. I already just found out that my mom needs an emergancy food box and is enrolled in this thing that helps needy families pay for gifts for children (I can’t wait till January! Obama will get us out of this economy crisis!)

Kansieo.com

He is a figure known the world over, an endorsement for gift giving, the winter holiday season and cookie eating. At times he is called Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas or Kris Kringle and is arguably the most famous heavyset celebrity – well at least to precede Elvis Presley. Yes, he is the loveable, enduring and jolly old chap we call Santa Claus. In 1897 one little girl from Manhattan, at the urging of her father, took it upon herself to ask the New York Sun Newspaper once and for all if the man in the red suit was the real deal.

Countless numbers of letters are written to newspapers all around the world each year, and few if any, will ever see a moment of fame beyond the readership of their respective dailies. However, over a hundred years ago a simple letter comprised of only the words, “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?” would go on to become one of the most enduring symbols of North America’s take on Christmas.

One day in September 1897 (historians speculate that the question arose not in December as one might expect, but in September, because this would have been shortly after the new school year had commenced and children would have already been turning their attention to Christmas) young Virginia O’Hanlon approached her father, Dr. Philip O’Hanlon (who worked for a coroner’s office), with the sort of innocence only the very young are able to possess. She likely asked in a small but inquisitive voice if the rumours of her school chums were correct, was Santa Claus fake? Now not knowing for sure how tense the air got in the room at that moment when Mr O’Hanlon’s only child asked him to debunk or concur with the tale of St. Nick, we can only assume that he did not have the heart to break the truth to her himself. And so the letter (and its reply) that would go to become almost as much a symbol of the Christmas season as Santa himself was born.

Off Virginia went to write a letter at her father’s suggestion, which she mailed herself, to the New York Sun newspaper where its answer was assigned to an ex-civil war correspondent turned newspaper editorial writer by the name of Francis Pharcellus Church. Story has it that Mr Church was not exactly jumping for joy at the assignment, but he took the child’s letter back to his desk and proceeded to write one of the most stirring tributes to Christmas that has ever graced the pages of any newspaper.

Perhaps it was the atrocities of war he had witnessed firsthand, perhaps it was his own desire to believe in Father Christmas, or perhaps it was exactly what he would have said had anyone asked him if Santa was real, but that day Francis Church wrote an earnest, dramatic and nearly poetic response to Miss O’Hanlon’s query. In no short terms he assured her that indeed Santa Claus, or at the very least the unshakable spirit and message of Saint Nicholas’s image were as real as anything else on earth.

Though at the time it ran in the New York Sun it was but the seventh editorial on its page, this candid, lively and touching response would go on to find its way into the hearts and Christmases of millions of people, spanning many generations since the 1890s.

In fact both the letter and its answer are reprinted in oodles of newspapers around the globe every year, a modern tribute and testimony to Virginia’s, Francis Church’s and Santa Claus’s contribution to the timeless beauty, wonder and magic of Christmas.

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I really don’t want to mess up my letter to him.

Also should i ask for a Wombat or a Llama?

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If yes, then let me have his address. Does he reply to your letters … ?

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You think Santa Claus and decorated trees when you think Christmas, right? The Jolly One probably comes first as the number one symbol of the holiday, but there’s no mistaking that Christmas trees are nearly just as important when it comes to celebrating the holiday right.

Santa Claus and Christmas trees are so intertwined, so connected, in how we celebrate, it makes one think that Santa maybe even invented the Christmas tree. After all, it’s Santa who places everyone’s presents underneath the tree. Maybe back in the old days, before trees, he used to place presents under children’s beds and in the bathtub. And maybe eventually he got tired of it, and instead invented Christmas trees as a convenient and fun place for him to leave presents. Makes sense, right?

Maybe, but Santa had little to do with the real reason that Christmas trees came about. Sorry to disappoint you folks, but it was actually German Christians who started the Christmas tree celebration, way back in the 1500s. And as for decorating these trees, the story goes that one of the top Christians of them all, Martin Luther, started decorating his family’s tree in the 1500s with lit candles. He got the idea one night walking home under the stars.

Then the idea really caught on in the mid-1800s, when the Queen of England and her children started decorating a tree for Christmas. Sketches of the royal family with their decorations got put in all the major newspapers, and soon every good Englishman was starting a new family tradition: decorating their house and home with colorful decorations and freshly smelling, beautifully green evergreen trees.

In America, however, we were a little bit slow, not just with decorating Christmas trees but with celebrating Santa Claus and anything else ‘extra’ in their Christmas festivities. That’s because up until the very end of the 1800s, Americans saw Christmas as a very religious holiday. There was no room for chubby men in red suits, or bright decorations and candles, and even a Christmas tree. All Americans did back then was go to church service. Period.

But then the Queen of England enjoyed her Christmas tree. And many immigrants to the United States, especially the German ones, celebrated December 25 with trees, lights, and holiday cheer. Eventually, the fun caught on. In true American fashion, though, Americans not only took on the tradition of Christmas trees and decorations, they improved on it. Every thing had to be bigger, better, and more festive!

For example, at the turn of the 20th century, Europeans tended to like their trees manageable, at only about the height of your typical sixth grader. But when Americans started catching on to the tree tradition, they decided they liked their trees big, so big that they touched the ceiling of their homes.

Then Americans took it one step further with the invention of electricity in homes. Trees were braided with strings of multicolored lights. Homes were covered with decorations of every color, blinking lights, and Santa Claus statues with his sleigh of reindeer. Even towns and cities started setting up Santa Claus displays around Town Hall, as well as Christmas trees that reached to the sky.

santa letters

The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years. The story starts with a monk named Saint Nicholas. As the legend goes, Saint Nicholas was born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, Turkey which is near Myra in the country of Turkey we know today. Much admired for his piety and kindness, St. Nicholas was the center of many grand tales. These legends have been passed down to generations and generations of children.

It is thought that he gave away all of his inherited wealth and riches so he could travel the country. He wanted to travel so he could help the poor and sick. One of the more popular St. Nick stories is the one about him saving three poor sisters from being sold into a life of slavery or prostitution by their father. Other stories tell of St. Nick saving people from famine and disease, sparing the lives of those innocently accused, and much more. He did many kind and generous deeds without expecting anything in return.

Over the course of hundreds of years, Saint Nicholas’s popularity spread across the globe. The Saint became known as the great protector of children. He was admired for his work to help the needy. He was also revered for his great Christian faith. By the Renaissance period, St. Nicholas was the most popular saint in all of Europe. Even after the Protestant Reformation, when the admiration of all saints was discouraged, Saint Nicholas was able to maintain a good reputation. He is honored by all of the Christian world, in both the East and West. In the West, he is especially honored as he is considered the great patron Saint of children and the jolly giver of gifts. He is often called Santa Claus.

On the anniversary of his death which is thought to be December 6, a feast day is celebrated. This was traditionally considered a lucky day to get married or make large purchases. Another tradition that we all are familiar with is writing a letter to Santa. Writing letters to Santa Claus has been a Christmas tradition for many years. These letters from children usually includes a wishlist of toys and gifts. Children often include their accomplishment of good behavior. Letters from Santa are still mailed out every year around the globe.

SantaLetters4Kids.comhttp://santaletters4kids.comWriting extremely personalized Letters from Santa for almost 10 years.

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We can write the letter in our language or in English?

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With his property rapidly transforming into ocean, how will he be able to meet his quota in the future? I got a letter from him taped to my Wii last year telling me that if we didn’t start reducing greenhouse gas emissions soon, he would have to relocate his infrastructure to Asia or Central America. This means for a few years we’re all getting those lame wooden hand made choo choos instead of flawlessly replicated boss electronics. “It’ll be like the old days” he said. All Burl Ives and crap….
To those of you who took this as seriously as they did…….wow. That’s all I gotta say. I asked this to entertain my 8 year old son.

Remember when you were little, and they didn’t HAVE a freakin’ UV index? Remember when you could play outside all day, get burned and cancer wasn’t a concern?

I’m not pushing the “AGW” world or whatever label your neocon masters have labeled it so your nice washed brains can store it better. This is the REAL world and global warming is a REAL thing.

Turn off Fox News…

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I don’t want the “North Polar” Address. That one’s fake. You have to pay to send those letters. P.S. Happy Holidays!!

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