Day 5 – Write a letter to Santa. How does he know what you want if you don’t tell him? Read them out loud when you are done so Santa can hear you.
Yes, Virginia, I do believe in Santa Claus. Quantum physics makes his Christmas Eve trip work. If you want the details, check out this week’s podcast at Big Picture Science (my favorite podcast.)
Santa has a great history. Someday I’m going to write a book about this humble bishop who now hangs out in malls all over America. It’s been an interesting journey.
If you have kids or are a kid at heart, Santa has his own podcast. He encourages children to be kind, not just because they will stay on his good list (which he checks twice) but because it is the right thing to do. He had an episode every day until Christmas.
Tomorrow is Sinterklaas Day in Holland, and I talk about that holiday on the Footle and Grok podcast then. Check it out on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
If you want the ultimate Santa Claus movie (no, it’s not The Santa Clause), watch Miracle on 34th Street. Black and white, original version only, please. No colorization, no remakes. My favorite scene is the end courtroom scene. I don’t want to spoil it, so watch it with a tissue ready.
Last August, I visited Santa at the North Pole. North Pole, Alaska that is. This festive town is outside of Fairbanks, and at the Santa Claus House, you can see Santa, Mrs. Claus, and his reindeer all year long. It was entertaining watching organized families in matching pajamas getting a photo with Santa for their Christmas card so early.
Most of the Santa Claus House is a store with every imaginable Christmas item for sale. While waiting in line to pay for a cute moose ornament, I saw a bright idea. There were letters to Santa that covered every type of child and adult. There were ones for good kids, bad kids, mostly good kids, adults who believe in Santa, adults that don’t believe in Santa, and many more. The packets included a fancy letter and envelope with stickers. All a person had to do was fill in the blanks. I didn’t buy one, but I thought it could be a fun thing to do with a child.
Why not start a new tradition with your family and follow Santa’s trip across the sky with the help of NORAD? On the website or app, you can track Santa on Christmas Eve and play lots of other games throughout the year. It’s fun to watch quantum physics at work.