My Letter to Santa, Found {30 Years Later!}
December 18, 2022
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My letter to Santa (30 years later) in the craziest of places!
I have a wonderful Christmas story for you!
It started when I ran into Hallmark years ago to pick up something for our son. It was only the beginning of October, but they had quite a few holiday items out already.
The employees were grabbing my order for me, and while I waited I noticed a beautiful Christmas book on the counter:
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It was called Letters to Santa Claus and because I love anything Christmas, I picked it up and starting looking at it.
It really is a lovely book. I noticed in the first few pages that it's based on letters sent to the city of Santa Claus, Indiana and thought, wow, the Indiana connection is cool!
I was in a hurry so I very quickly scanned through some of the pages. Each page is a scanned letter to Santa, in its original form. What's really cool is they are separated into decades, with the first ones from the 1940's.
Some letters are sweet, some funny, and a few are quite touching.
What a treasure!
I had no idea what a treasure it would be. :) You see, I only looked at a couple pages and was getting ready to put it down when I flipped to one more.
I thought I was losing my mind for a minute.
I was looking at my own (8-year-old) handwriting.
I can't even describe how weird it felt looking at my writing in this book. I started reading and none of it was familiar to me at first.
Then I saw the name at the bottom…Sarah. I couldn't even believe what I was reading.
It was my letter to Santa:
If you can't read it here's what it says (spelling corrected):
Dear Santa Claus,
I love you very much. I watched a show about you and they said there was no Santa Claus. But I believe in you. If you are really Santa Claus could you get me a Baby Alive? They boys in my class said that there was no Santa Claus. My mom said that they will be disappointed when they don't get anything. You are my best friend I've got.
Your friend,
Sarah
I read through the whole thing quickly and when I came to the part about the Baby Alive doll I started to fully realize that this was MY letter.
I wanted that doll SO BAD. 😂 She peed and pooped people. :) And I got her that Christmas. (Santa is real!)
How amazing is this? I didn't know whether to laugh or cry or what. I told the ladies in the store and they couldn't believe it.
I still can't believe it. Out of the very few pages I looked at, my letter was one of them. What a special, special experience.
My letter was chosen from millions of letters sent from all over the world over the span of many decades!
I remember where we lived when I got the doll I asked for. That year was a tough one -- my parents had just separated and my Mom and I moved from our farmhouse in a very small town to an apartment in Indianapolis.
I was out of my element and missed my Dad SO much. It was just a rough year overall.
My childhood was wonderful in so many ways, but there were a lot of hard times. I only have one small box of memories and some photos from my childhood -- everything else was lost.
So as you can imagine, I'm THRILLED to have this part of my history.
What a beautiful gift to get a piece of my childhood in such a lovely and unexpected way.
This Letters to Santa Claus book is now one of my most prized possessions. I pull it out to display every Christmas.
It's on the basement end table and I look through it every now and again:
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| See our basement Christmas tour here! |
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oh my GOSH! that is incredible! so so very sweet and amazing :) wow!
ReplyDeleteThat's an amazing story! And I totally teared up at the end of your letter. So sweet.
ReplyDeleteIsn't life funny sometimes?!?! Enjoy this treasure!!
ReplyDeleteI love this post!! That must have been an exciting moment for you. I also love your style and DIY projects. I check your blog frequently....good luck on the kitchen remodel! We just moved this spring into a "fixer upper" and redid the kitchen entirely....my counters look similar to yours!
ReplyDeleteGinger
Oh also forgot to mention that I BEGGED for a baby alive doll and my mom flat out refused. The pooping feature is a bit odd thinking back on it!!!
ReplyDeleteGinger
She was pretty awesome. Even had diapers. ;)
DeleteSarah! What an incredible, amazing, blessing! I just can't believe that was a coincidence. Thank you so much for sharing! I feel encouranged. :)
ReplyDeleteTonja
What an insane coincidence. I'm so happy that happened to you!! :)
ReplyDeleteThis made my day!!! Santa is real ... and I'm so glad that He put this book in your path!
ReplyDeleteIncredible!! What a truly amazing gift to be given!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story! I had to have Baby Alive too! I remember the little packets of "food" and how her jaw moved when you fed her. What a fun memory!
ReplyDeleteHow amazing!! So any idea how your letter ended up in the book??
ReplyDeleteI guess because I sent it to Santa Claus Indiana? Or maybe that's where the North Pole letters go in Indiana? I don't know if they kept it all this time or scanned it for some reason along the way. Crazy right?
DeleteGoose bumps! What an amazing thing to happen - especially this week! Treasure the memories & the feeling!
ReplyDeleteHow amazing is that?! So cool.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely and surprisingly encouraging post. I hope I don't sound crazy, but my 2 cents? It wasn't so much a "letter to Santa", but a "letter to the Lord". It's like He heard your sweet, aching heart all those years ago, saved the letter these many years, and then gave it back to you today. What a gift and sign of God's provision and tenderness. You always make my day a little brighter, Sarah!
ReplyDeleteSofia
Sofia now you've got me in tears. :) What a lovely perspective -- I absolutely love it and agree.
DeleteSarah, thank you for sharing this experience with us and opening your heart about your past. I had the same thoughts as Sofia, God shows His care for us in unique and wonderful ways! Bless you, lmno
DeleteIt is like a God wink moment. I posted this on my FB timeline.
DeleteI had the exact same thought as Sofia and Imno. What a wonderful story.
DeleteI had the same thought! Santa Clause embodies the Spirit of Christmas and the greatest gift ever given. He loved you then and He loves you now. Brought tears to my eyes and a big smile to my heart. <3
Deletethis is awesome Sarah. So sorry about your rough week. I am glad this happened to you. So sweet.
ReplyDeleteThis is really SO wonderful! And so very, very special. It was meant for you to find it...thanks so much for sharing with us!
ReplyDeleteThis is precious, Sarah! What a blessing! And I LOVED my Baby Alive!!! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic story! And Baby Alive was Awesome, I had her too :)
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing story! Your letter is so precious and you were clearly precocious with such excellent spelling ;)
ReplyDeleteKizmet doll :) Life is so winding and wonderful. What a treasure to have and share :)
ReplyDeleteHow awesome is this!!! It moved me to tears and I agree with the comment about 'God's provision and tenderness'! So glad that He cares this much for us! Second time this week that I had tears reading your blog. Not a bad thing though. I was so sorry about your kitty! Love your blog and always look forward to your posts. You're my favorite!!!
ReplyDeleteYour wonderful surprise of a gift makes me so happy for you, Sarah!! As some of your other readers have already suggested, too many things had to line up for this to have been a coincidence. I'll be thinking of your story often this weekend and it will bring a smile to me every single time.
ReplyDeleteOh, punky little-sister-I-never-had, you broke my heart today in the most beautiful of ways.
ReplyDeleteYou know, Santa must love you very, very much to make sure you made it into this very special book, and make sure the Bub would bring you to it so you would have the proof of how important you are.
This gives me all the loving feels.
What a sweet story and tender mercy. This reminds me of all the kind and loving people that are out there to help others is small and simple ways. When my twins were 3 and we were living in LA money was tight and Christmas was going to be small. My girls wrote their letters to Santa. One of my girls asked for a donkey. My husband and I had a good laugh about her request. We put the letters in a box at a local store that said Santa's mailbox. Christmas Eve we got a knock on the door and there stood Santa and his elf. My daughter got a cute little stuffed donkey that Christmas. I don't know how they got our address or how they found us in the big city of LA. There is one thing I know for sure, Yes, Sarah there is a Santa Claus. Thanks for sharing your story.
ReplyDeleteAmazing! I have to go look for the book now. Feel like I may have written a very similar letter to Santa Claus, IN from Fort Wayne way back then. Santa never brought me a Baby Alive - they ARE awesome! However, I cannot complain! Such a cool story, thank you so much for sharing. Your blog is one of my very favorites!
ReplyDeleteWow, what a sweet story! It brought a lump to my throat. I am so glad you have that special memory to add to your childhood box. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHi! I'm the editor of this book at Indiana University Press. If you could contact me, that'd be great! mlclarke@indiana.edu - Mandy
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, how cool is that!!!!!! I would have purchased it too. What a great keepsake!
ReplyDeleteSuch a great story to end the week with. That had to be the best experience. It truly was fate. So glad you shared this. Reading your letter made me smile. And yes your cursive handwriting is very impressive!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great share - tears!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Sarah, simply beautiful...I believe God let that happen just to let you know how special you are. Made me smile
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah - A good friend of mine sent me the link to your post and I was so excited to read about your letter. I'm the author of the book and one of Santa's Elves in Santa Claus, Indiana. Your story is amazing and absolutely what we hoped for when we published the book. I'm also happy to hear you received that Baby Alive Doll! I'd be happy to talk more about the Elves and hear more about your story as well. Merry Christmas :) - Emily
ReplyDelete^^Oh, my...Love this! Love this! Love this!
DeleteI can't wait to hear what you and Sarah speak about, Emily.
Beautifully sweet serendipity. This was such a lovely story to read as we begin this crazy holiday season. What a blessing for you, too, and a gift for your children.
ReplyDeleteThat gave me goosebumps!! How awesome!!
ReplyDeleteThis is, by far, the coolest thing I've heard in a long time. Of course you had to buy the book! Also, the personal reply from the elf above?!?! What a world. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah! I love your blog and read it often. It was so exciting for me to read your post this afternoon, because I designed the book that has your letter in it. :) I'm a senior book designer for Indiana University Press. I read every letter as I was designing the book and I've got to say some made me laugh and some made me cry. I really believe there was a reason you walked into that store and picked up the book and turned to the page of your letter. Isn't it amazing how life is like that? It's a Christmas miracle - and isn't that what Christmas is all about? - Jennifer
ReplyDeleteThat is AMAZEBALLS!! What a cool thing and how awesome that you accidentally found it!
ReplyDeleteLOOOOOVE!!!
ReplyDeleteLoved your story. It made my day. This will make your holidays extra special!��
ReplyDeleteThat's amazing and so sweet. I'm thrilled for you, no wonder you're delighted. X
ReplyDeleteSo cool, Sarah! I've been reading for years. Since, like, corner fireplace version 1...so this made me so, so happy for you! Merry Christmas! Xoxo
ReplyDeleteThat is so amazing!! Thank you for sharing...it was meant to be!
ReplyDeleteThat is amazing! It was meant to be that you looked through that book. It brought me goosebumps!
ReplyDeleteSarah,
ReplyDeleteSanta brought me the Baby Alive too! Such a sweet story you shared with us. Thank you!
Laurie
That is such a great story Sarah! I probably would have cried. Thanks for sharing with us.
ReplyDeleteSarah,
ReplyDeleteYour story was not a coincidence, it was a blessing! :)
Linda
When unique things like that happen in your life, I like to think that there is a reason for it. Maybe it was to share your story with your family or grandkids down the road or someone who needs to know even the difficult times bring good things. I don't know, but it is special!
ReplyDeleteI love your story...it was fate....and it so reminded me of when I met my stepdaughter. When I met her dad she was 9 years old, she had a really hard time the year before when her parents divorced and she had never in her whole life had Christmas in their house, because her mum didn't believe in Christmas. It was difficult to get into the Christmas spirit for my husband (I must say he did try over the years). So I said to her dad we should do a really special 1st Christmas (I absolutely love Christmas). The build up was amazing we went out and bought a huge tree, I decorated it with all my Christmas decorations I had purchased over the years from when my own son was a baby, He is 10 years older than her so knew what was coming and has had many great Christmases and so we went OTT on everything. We kept buying gifts to put under the tree and she would say how does father Christmas fill the boxes with presents...because he comes down the chimney I said but only if you are good...(luckily we had a chimney). We got her to send a letter to father Christmas via the post office and they sent a letter back with fairy dust in it (glitter to you and I). So on Christmas eve she was so excited she came downstairs and said she couldn't sleep...so we said if you sprinkle some fairy dust on your pillow then it will help you sleep because Santa knows that children find it hard to sleep on Christmas eve so that's why he sent the fairy dust. We knew what was on her list because although she had put it in her little safe we had a key so we peaked. Of course the fairy dust worked and she went fast to sleep. The next morning was a real treat because all the things she had asked for were under the tree. We were able to keep the story of father Christmas up for 3 years before the kids at school told her that there was no father Christmas....but it was still magical for us to watch her open her presents and believe in father Christmas. So reading your story really resonated with me...of course now she is grown up but still she loves Christmas!
ReplyDeleteSurprises are always so great aren't they? I'm so pleased for you, that you have this very special childhood memory to cherish AND that you were picked out of all those letters to Santa!
ReplyDeleteAmazing Serendipity!
ReplyDeleteG-d works in mysterious and wonderful ways.
ReplyDeleteSuch an amazing and touching story! Serendipitous! I'm sure the book will become a family treasure. The fact that the author was led to your blog post makes it even more special. Heave a wonderful weekend and thanks for sharing this story.
ReplyDeleteDorene @ Seasonal Chapters}
What a sweet story!! I bet you could hardly contain your emotion in that store!!! I love all things Christmas and Santa. I think when you have experienced heartache as a child those tender memories of childhood really hold on to your heart. I have quite a collection of Santas and may have to get that book. God gave you a sweet surprise this week.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful thing to happen! I'm very happy for you! I felt your joy! I would have cried, screamed and jumped up and down! How cool is that! I'm glad you bought the book. I didn't know they published one! I'll go buy it, too!
ReplyDeleteA fellow Hoosier,
Jacky
You seriously just made me cry!!
ReplyDeleteCRAZY!!!!! I keep getting chills! Oh my gosh!!! What a gift. And like you said, after the rough week you have had. God is really so amazing. What a treasure. And a way to kind of let go a bit, to a time from your past that you may have had a tough time dealing with or letting go. Unreal!
ReplyDeleteI had to comment because I think I'm amazed just as much as you are. WoW. Talking about magic....you really have to start looking for all kind of signs now. You must have a gift, and it could be your sign (o:
ReplyDeletePretty awesome barely covers it!!
ReplyDeleteWow! That is such a fun discovery!
ReplyDeleteThat is SO fun!!! I'm glad you found that amazing memory. You DID have pretty great handwriting for an 8 year old.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful story! So happy for you!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful gift our Lord provided. It gives me goose bumps. God is so good. He wanted you in that store at that time to read your letter and make your day. WHAT A BLESSING. That is much more poignant and special than any material gift that we could exchange. God loves us so much! Let us never miss an opportunity to give Him the glory. Amen!
ReplyDeleteThis is extraordinary!! So excited for you Sarah!! And thank you so much for sharing your "whole" story. {[hugs}}
ReplyDeleteThat is just crazy awesome!! What a shock, though such a good one!!! Your handwriting really was wonderful, I'm pretty impressed. What a wonderful gift, and how amazing you picked up that book!
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to you and you're being able to share it with all of us is one big reason I love blogging and reading about the small wonders in people's lives. Sounds like you waited for that miracle for long time and we all got to share something so incredible with you. so happy for you Sarah. Your hard work, your awesome blog and your humility are why people love you and love sharing your life as well as your blog. We can all use a big warm fuzzy feeling and so glad you let us share it with you. Miracles are out there, we just have to have our hearts open to receive them.
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend Sarah. You truly are incredible How lucky your son is to have you for his Mom.Enjoy dear lady
What a fun find! Meant to have that moment for sure...neat story. The first thing I noticed on your Instagram post was the beautifu handwriting! Just awe-worthy. 😄
ReplyDeleteSuch a cool story! I can't believe you happened to turn to that page either - so amazing!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! Your story gave me chills. Makes you believe in a higher being doesn't it. Thanks for sharing Sarah.
ReplyDeleteGuess it's official -- Santa Claus is real! Thanks for sharing your amazing story!
ReplyDeleteThat is amazing, Sarah. I'm so glad you happened to come across that book. What a a special gift for you!
ReplyDelete-Erin
This is just amazing! What a beautiful surprise!
ReplyDeleteThat is so incredible! And I too, wanted a Baby Alive...
ReplyDeleteShelley
That is such an amazing story! OMG, I too wanted Baby Alive!!! What a precious heirloom that book will become. I have saved many of the letters my girls wrote to Santa. You just gave me an idea to include them in the photo book I was planning to create this year with all their Christmas card photos.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful story! You were meant to find it that day.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely amazing!!!!! I was teary-eyed reading your story actually. And like you, "believe' in Santa Claus (wrote about it even http://buhayatbahay.blogspot.com/2013/12/why-i-still-believe-in-santa-claus.html), grab as many copies as you can so you can share it with your grandkids someday!
ReplyDeleteWow...what a blessing and treasure you received. I was in awe, when reading this . Just unbelievable. SO happy for you.
ReplyDeleteI remember the Baby alive so well. My daughter is 42 and when she was 4 yrs old, she got it for Christmas. She loved her new baby..My husband being the "sweet" fellow he is.. Fed the baby some mustard..well, you can imagine, the mustard poop that my sweet baby girl discovered. And for the moment...she was TOTALLY threw with baby alive.lol
Thanks for sharing this lovely story. I enjoyed it so much. Judy
What a wonderful, sweet, uplifting story. Thank you for sharing. (And I loved my Baby Alive doll. My dad even used to pick up diapers at the grocery store for her so I'd never run out!).
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story!!
ReplyDeleteI am covered in goosebumps! Santa and Jesus must work together :)
ReplyDeleteWow that's amazing!! So cool I would be floored.
ReplyDeleteP.s such a cute letter ;)
Lauren Baxter | Lovely Decor
xx
Is it possible for me to be crying with a huge grin on my face? :)
ReplyDeleteVery neat experience. I can only imagine your confusion as you
stumbled upon your own writing. Wild.
Merry early Christmas, dear!
Chrissy
That is INSANE!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHow utterly amazing and wonderful, so happy for your great find!!!!
ReplyDeleteWow, what a surreal experience and such a window into the past! Great story!
ReplyDeleteI just love your story! I remember my daughter wanting a Baby Alive and going to several stores to make sure we had one for her for Christmas. Thank you for sharing! Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful, touching and REAL Christmas story! Please follow up with us on your conversations with the author and publisher. There will be more to this story! Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteWow! That was a real special moment for you. It was obviously meant for you to find in that book, at that time! Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteI have been following your blog for forever but somehow I missed this story 7 years ago. But I found it today in 2022 and it absolutely has made my Christmas better. I have been quite a Grinch this year which is so unlike me, but this story lifted my spirits. So incredible for this to happen to you!! Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDelete