Thanks, Santa

This is a thank-you note to a stranger. A few weeks ago, my 3-year-old asked if he could send a letter to Santa. I found him a piece of scrap paper, and with a good deal of squirming and searching for the right word, he dictated his letter. “Dear Santa, I want a spaceship for Christmas. Love, Andrew.” He decorated the letter. We addressed it to Santa at the North Pole, and put on a return address, and dropped it in the mailbox at the corner.

On Dec. 26, we were all struggling with post-Christmas letdown, when a priority mail package came, postmarked Los Angeles, and addressed to Drew. There was no return address except for the name: Santa. Our letter was returned, along with a lovely little box of workbooks and crayons, and a little note: “Dear Drew. I was all out of spaceships. I hope you like this instead. Have a very Merry Christmas. Love, Santa.”

Dear Santa, I don’t know where you are, but thank you a thousand times for the time and the thoughtfulness and the generosity that went into that little package. You are one of those who truly understands the spirit of Christmas, and you have made this Christmas one that my family will always remember.

JEAN CAMPBELL

Los Angeles