Remember when I got myself into this situation? Pretending to be Santa on the phone with Piper?
Well, I’m playing Santa again this year. By request.
About a week ago, Piper drew this picture for Santa and Mrs. Claus:
(I’m dying at how she corrected her own spelling error)
Once the picture was finished, Piper wanted to send it to Santa and Mrs. C. Uhm, “right away!!” So my phone rings. My sister, asking, “Can I send you this picture and have you write Piper a letter back — from Santa?”
Me? Playing Santa again? Oh, I was ALL OVER that, Peaches.
I spent hours — HOURS — on Saturday designing Santa’s, uhm, letterhead and envelope. (Lord. I am so anal retentive.) Then I tackled the letter. Trying to “sound” like Santa. Trying to write something a 7 year old would relate to. Trying to sound like Santa saw her, knew things about her — you know, in a nice omniscient Santa way.
So here’s the final Santa letter:
That’s pretty hard to read, I imagine. Here’s what the letter says:
Dear Piper,
Thank you for the wonderful drawing. It made me so happy, I started to Ho Ho Ho! You are a talented young artist, Piper. I especially like the Christmas tree with all the colorful ornaments on it. Mrs. Claus took the picture right away and hung it on the wall in my workshop so I can enjoy it always.
My friend The Tooth Fairy tells me that she has been visiting you a lot lately and I can see that you are growing a big, bright, beautiful new smile. Your smile makes Santa smile, too! I have smiled a lot watching you play soccer this year and seeing how kind you always are to the other players.
I know you have been a very good girl this year, Piper, but then Santa knows that you are always a good girl and that makes him proud.
Be sure to be asleep early on Christmas Eve! I have some special surprises to deliver to you in my sleigh that night, but you must be sure to be sound asleep. And don’t forget …. Santa is always grateful to find milk and cookies left out for him since he has such a long long journey around the world on Christmas Eve. The love in those snacks always gives me strength.
Well, I will see you on Christmas Eve, Piper, but you won’t see me. Maybe you’ll hear the jingling of Rudolph’s Christmas bells. They’re magic, you know. (I forgot to add that to the letter, but I plan to.)
HO HO HO! MERRY CHRISTMAS, PIPER!
With love from the bottom of my bowl full of jelly,
SANTA
(Anyhoo. There it is. Oh, and didn’t you all know that Santa frequently refers to himself in the third person? I dunno. It just seemed like something he might do. I am insane. I plan to send this at the end of the week.)
//It just seemed like something he might do. //
HAHAHA
Awesome letter!!
This is brilliant, Tracey! The letterhead is perfect. I can picture Edmund Gwynn writing Natalie Wood a letter on this paper.
Like Santa Claus always says, Santa Claus is all about the toys and the giving and the little children. Santa Claus isn’t about who’s got more stuff.
It’s like he’s Rickey Henderson or something!
Of course I’m all “awww. That’s so sweet…” right up until you point out that Santa clearly has this whole third person thing going on. At which I chortle and spew Diet Coke out my nose.
LOVE that Piper writes “Mr. and Mrs. C” – while that will ALWAYS be the inimitable Howard and Marion Cunningham from Happy Days for me – I think her familiarity and comfort in addressing them that way is adorable.
Wow, Santa-T! I can tell how much fun you had drawing this up, ’cause I had fun reading it, too! Santa, Elmo, Bob Dole–oh, those crazy third-person people.
Loved how Santa-T backed up the parents by telling P to make sure she went to bed early and was good and asleep, ha ha. Will it work?
That is SO sweet. You are such a good aunt.
Another person who refers to himself in the third person? The Manolo, arbiter of style. Maybe he and Santa are distant cousins?
You know, I figured if there’s anyone who deserves to refer to himself in the third person, it’s Santa Claus! I mean, you guys, I actually THOUGHT THAT OUT. Weirdo.
Kate P — Oh, believe me. We’ll be at their house on Christmas Eve and there will be NO problem getting that girl to go to bed.
If you’ll be there does that mean you get all Santa’s cookies? That’d be a sweet perk.
So sweet, Tracey.
It totally sounds like Santa. I read it and started believing it was from Mr. C. myself!!
Marisa — Haha! I know! The whole “Mr. and Mrs. C” thing is so cute. (Still it WILL always be the Cunninghams, but she doesn’t know that.)
I love her little spelling error and how she corrects it. I keep looking at that.
I’ll let you all know how it goes over. You know, she probably won’t believe in Santa too much longer, but both her older brothers — 13 and 16 — are very protective of her belief in Santa. They’re good boys and sweet brothers.
I also love the swooping curve of the Santa hat that she drew. The PURPLE Santa hat!
Yes, the purple Santa hat — that’s my girl! Go, Pipey!
I can ask you this (I would never ask Piper!!) – what exactly is the huge dandelion-stalk formation beside the Christmas tree?? Is it fireworks? What is happening? It is QUITE festive and Christmasy … I just can’t locate, uhm, what exactly it is supposed to be??
I love how the dandelion stalk is mostly purple – but then it has these wild yellow streaks happening, too. Like an explosion is just waiting to happen!!
An adorable picture – I can tell she likes purple.
A very wonderful letter indeed. Your niece will be thrilled.
Best. Aunt. Ever.
You and she together are adorable overload.
At least third-person Santa doesn’t use the ‘royal we’.
(Did anyone else think the purple curvy thing on the right was the Virgin Mary? The circle around the end of the cap tip looked like a halo. Plus, it was purple…)
Hmm, interesting theory, Sal. I was thinking Star of Bethlehem.
Sal — Hm. I can see that, definitely. I’m not sure if she’s familiar with that image. Maybe it was her subconscious talking.
sheila — Honestly … I don’t know. Is it her own interpretation of a totally mod Christmas tree? Like, she’s doing some traditional/modern contrast here? (She does have a thing about trees lately, I have evidence of that. Although this would be a completely new kind of tree for her.)
Is it the star of Bethlehem?
Is it fireworks coming out of that one present?
IS it a giant dandelion??
I really don’t know. And I CAN’T ask her because SANTA has the picture, right??
I guess — like a true artist — she’s leaving something open to mystery and viewer interpretation. 😉
tray/Santa – yes! Mystery, and artistry. It definitely leaves me with a festive feeling!
And now all I can see when I look at the swoopy Santa hat is an angel with a halo.
Clearly, it is a stylized palm tree. 😉
And clearly, you are the BEST. AUNT. EVER! I especially love the part about Santa “knowing the Tooth Fairy”.
I can’t believe she’s already 7! She’s going to be driving in two more blinks! NOOOOOO!