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Dear Santa: Children's Christmas Letters and Wish Lists, 1870 - 1920
This first-ever collection of children's letters to Santa—written between 1870 and 1920—presents more than 100 charming missives, each one yet more endearing. Along with its vintage charm, timeless sentiments, and non-denominational perspective, this heartwarming book is filled with historical discoveries that will delight everyone who loves this holiday ritual. Dear Santa is a celebration of one of Christmas's most enduring traditions, and a tribute to the millions of households that keep it alive.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published September 15, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
December 19, 2016
This book starts out with a Preface The History of the Santa Letter, an Introduction The Origins of Santa Claus, a brief Overview of the time period in which the letters are written, and Letter Highlights of the time period... before FINALLY moving on to the actual letters themselves. Sadly, when I started reading them I found most of the letters to be quite boring. Sorry, but they were.
Some of these letters tugged at my heartstrings a little bit, but none of them made me laugh. I was hoping for something along the lines of "The Art Linkletter Show". THOSE kids were hysterical, and said the darndest things.
Some of these letters tugged at my heartstrings a little bit, but none of them made me laugh. I was hoping for something along the lines of "The Art Linkletter Show". THOSE kids were hysterical, and said the darndest things.
December 23, 2015
What a charming little book! The book contains children's letters to Santa from 1870 to 1920, arranged by decade. A short introduction gives the reader an overview of the development of the Santa image, then each decade is prefaced with a short explanation of any requests for toys that may be unknown to us now (such as for a velocipede, a milk wagon, or a Baby Bump---not at all its current meaning!), and of what was going on in the world that may have influenced the children's choices. The letters are from many different cities, mostly in the USA, but also some from Canada, the UK, and even Australia. They are mostly very, very sweet. You will chuckle at some and others will tug at your heart. In some, the personality of the writer shone through so strongly, the little person seemed very real, and I caught myself thinking about how old they would be now if they were still alive, and wondering how their lives had been...
Here are a couple of excerpts:
from a 1903 letter, Argenta, Illinois
....Now, Santa, our chimney is very small. I wanted my papa to have it made larger, but he would not do it. So I will leave the window of the west room open so you can come in there. You will see my stocking hanging up by the window. Now, hoping you will please not to forget me. I am your little friend.
from 1907, San Francisco, California
I thought I would write to you to let you know I have moved, and I hope you won't forget me this year....We have had no tree since the earthquake and we lived in a shack until a few days ago...
from 1891, Cloverport, Kentucky
I am not very large, but I want a mighty heap of things. Leave the things in the dining-room for our Christmas tree, for if you were to bring the things down the chimney, I am afraid you will make a mistake and go to Grand-pa's room...
And finally, I just had to laugh at this one. Can't you just picture this little girl as she admonishes good old Santa?
from 1893, New Orleans, Louisiana
My Dear Mr. Santa Claus,
crismas is pretty near and I want to try very hard and be a good girl so you will give me plenty of things. I want a white swis cap for Alberther. I want some game to play that won't require much geonies to play. I would also like a cloak for Alberhter but that will fit all the childrens. Oh?!:" Mr. Santa Claus I'll be awfully good if you will only give me a tricycle for crismas. I won't ask anything else please, please" give me a tricycle or I will be so disappointed. I hope awfully you will bring me one. Please Mr. Santaclaus, grandma wants some cake and candy and I hain't got the money to grattify her wish cous all the money we got is to bye Ma a pare of slippers with don't let enybody see this letter becous the slipper business is secret. well I must stop good bye dear old Santaclaus good by.
P.S. don't forget My Tricicle for pity sakes don't forget.
[As you can see, they have kept the writers' original spelling and punctuation.]
This is the perfect book to read in the week before Christmas. It will put a smile on your face amid all the hustle and bustle. It is such a small size, you can tuck it in your bag and read a letter or two if you get caught waiting in line somewhere.
Here are a couple of excerpts:
from a 1903 letter, Argenta, Illinois
....Now, Santa, our chimney is very small. I wanted my papa to have it made larger, but he would not do it. So I will leave the window of the west room open so you can come in there. You will see my stocking hanging up by the window. Now, hoping you will please not to forget me. I am your little friend.
from 1907, San Francisco, California
I thought I would write to you to let you know I have moved, and I hope you won't forget me this year....We have had no tree since the earthquake and we lived in a shack until a few days ago...
from 1891, Cloverport, Kentucky
I am not very large, but I want a mighty heap of things. Leave the things in the dining-room for our Christmas tree, for if you were to bring the things down the chimney, I am afraid you will make a mistake and go to Grand-pa's room...
And finally, I just had to laugh at this one. Can't you just picture this little girl as she admonishes good old Santa?
from 1893, New Orleans, Louisiana
My Dear Mr. Santa Claus,
crismas is pretty near and I want to try very hard and be a good girl so you will give me plenty of things. I want a white swis cap for Alberther. I want some game to play that won't require much geonies to play. I would also like a cloak for Alberhter but that will fit all the childrens. Oh?!:" Mr. Santa Claus I'll be awfully good if you will only give me a tricycle for crismas. I won't ask anything else please, please" give me a tricycle or I will be so disappointed. I hope awfully you will bring me one. Please Mr. Santaclaus, grandma wants some cake and candy and I hain't got the money to grattify her wish cous all the money we got is to bye Ma a pare of slippers with don't let enybody see this letter becous the slipper business is secret. well I must stop good bye dear old Santaclaus good by.
P.S. don't forget My Tricicle for pity sakes don't forget.
[As you can see, they have kept the writers' original spelling and punctuation.]
This is the perfect book to read in the week before Christmas. It will put a smile on your face amid all the hustle and bustle. It is such a small size, you can tuck it in your bag and read a letter or two if you get caught waiting in line somewhere.
December 24, 2017
This is a sweet collection of children's letters to Santa from 1870 through 1920. A lot of the letters are from poor kids just wishing for something in their stockings or a small gift. Some even wish for Santa to give their toys to the poor kids around the world. This was especially evident during World War I years. Mostly they are just charming letters from kids all over the world.
One nice feature of this book is that the author included explanations of some now defunct toys and dolls, as well as commenting on life during each decade to give the reader a holistic view of the social situation of that era.
One nice feature of this book is that the author included explanations of some now defunct toys and dolls, as well as commenting on life during each decade to give the reader a holistic view of the social situation of that era.
December 23, 2022
This is the sweetest little Christmas book, it really got me into the spirit.
December 22, 2018
Wonderful book for the holidays. Letters for santa written by children. It was so cute and adorable and sad in places when you realise the children didn't get anything for christmas the year before. When they ask Santa not to forget them this year.
You get the selfless children who don't want much and want Santa to remember their family and the children who are poor and won't get anything for christmas.
And then you get the ones like me who are like. Santa I want this, this and this for Christmas.
I loved the historical notes and the definition of the toys. Although I still don't know what a Gasball is.
Recommended? Yes
Buy/Borrow? I don't know. I think it would make an excellent coffee table book for the holidays, but then that's probably just me.
You get the selfless children who don't want much and want Santa to remember their family and the children who are poor and won't get anything for christmas.
And then you get the ones like me who are like. Santa I want this, this and this for Christmas.
I loved the historical notes and the definition of the toys. Although I still don't know what a Gasball is.
Recommended? Yes
Buy/Borrow? I don't know. I think it would make an excellent coffee table book for the holidays, but then that's probably just me.
December 29, 2018
I read this on Christmas eve while sitting by the tree and watching a gingerbread competition on tv. It was so cool to see what kids asked for in the different decades. Some of them were cute and misspelled, while some were sassy and some were sad.
I loved how almost all of them weren't just asking for themselves, it was kind of like a letter to Santa from the whole house. I also liked the ones where they talked about themselves in third person.
There's also some historical information for the different time periods. I didn't really read any of it, I just read the letters. :)
I loved how almost all of them weren't just asking for themselves, it was kind of like a letter to Santa from the whole house. I also liked the ones where they talked about themselves in third person.
There's also some historical information for the different time periods. I didn't really read any of it, I just read the letters. :)
February 27, 2017
Children's Christmas letters and wish lists, 1870-1920
LOVED this!
I had so much fun reading this with my kids.
It starts out with the history of the Santa letter, then the origins of Santa Claus.
Each section after that is by decade with snippets of each era, toy terminology and living history referenced in the letters/wish lists.
Some made me laugh, some made me smile, and some broke my heart!
I will add a couple here in the next day or so.
LOVED this!
I had so much fun reading this with my kids.
It starts out with the history of the Santa letter, then the origins of Santa Claus.
Each section after that is by decade with snippets of each era, toy terminology and living history referenced in the letters/wish lists.
Some made me laugh, some made me smile, and some broke my heart!
I will add a couple here in the next day or so.
December 28, 2017
This was a fun pre-Christmas book. It had interesting tidbits about Christmas history, and I loved the analyzation of children's Christmas letters through the decade (we can gain so much by what they ask for, mentions of charity and tradition, etc.). It helped put me in the spirit and I may reread it on future Christmases.
December 26, 2015
I received this book in a goodreads giveaway.. I enjoyed the letters from children to Santa spelling errors and all. The toys from different eras was great...Great read for Christmas...
December 25, 2016
A perfect Christmas coffee table book to pick up and share choice lines alongside a fireplace and a Christmas tree. Some interesting historical context for the toys asked for as well!
December 8, 2020
I loved this book! The Santa Claus background and history was so interesting. Before each time period the book mentioned current events taking place and explained various terminology that we would read in the letters. They were mainly names of toys like a baby bump (and no this isnt a reference to a pregnant woman) which is a baby doll that can take harsh wear a tear and not get destroyed...lol!
The letters from the kids were so sweet and gave the reader an insight into the history of that time period. Some mentioned events like the San Francisco earthquake and how, after over a year, they were finally moving out of their shack and into a proper home. Most mentioned wanting shoes, dolls and trains for Christmas. One letter made mention of a baby that was left on their doorstep and for Santa to remember a gift for it. Some letters made mention of a parent that was dead or had walked out on them and for Santa not to forget presents for their numerous siblings.
This book was certainly enjoyable. The only drawback is that I wanted more; more letters to read and I wanted to continue on the timeline past 1920.
The letters from the kids were so sweet and gave the reader an insight into the history of that time period. Some mentioned events like the San Francisco earthquake and how, after over a year, they were finally moving out of their shack and into a proper home. Most mentioned wanting shoes, dolls and trains for Christmas. One letter made mention of a baby that was left on their doorstep and for Santa to remember a gift for it. Some letters made mention of a parent that was dead or had walked out on them and for Santa not to forget presents for their numerous siblings.
This book was certainly enjoyable. The only drawback is that I wanted more; more letters to read and I wanted to continue on the timeline past 1920.
December 19, 2019
An enjoyable read for this time of year. The introduction covering the history of Santa was really interesting and I liked the different approaches kids took in their letters.
February 13, 2016
4.5 stars. I encountered this one while browsing Twitter around Christmas. It looked amazingly adorable and I just knew I had to have this one. I ordered it, and it arrived last week. :)
The book isn't only letters though, yes, they make up most of the book, but there is also a little bit of history, explanations to what children wanted (because a lot of the terms are old and not used any more), trends in presents and some other titbits that I really enjoyed reading (even though it kind of spoiled some of the letters, yes, it really did that).
The letters themselves were really fun to read, and I laughed, the children back then were just as "bad" as the kids these days at times. Asking for tons of presents, a lot of stuff was pretty expensive back in that day. It seems kids will always ask for a mountain of presents no matter what age they live in.
There are also some kids who ask for stuff for friends, or for the poor people, I loved those. Kids who would even send with the letter some money, and even if it isn't much these days, it was a lot in those days.
I liked that they kept the letters as they were. Spelling errors and all. At times it was a bit hard to read, but generally I could get the gist of some of the really bad letters.
It just gave that extra bit of authenticity. Since kids just spell things wrong, I would have been sceptic if they had fixed up everything.
There are also small illustrations (stamps?) which I liked, though after seeing some pass by for the x number of time I got a bit tired of them. I wonder why they didn't vary some more? I am sure that with so much history behind Santa there must be more stamps or images you could use.
But I really liked the book, and I would highly recommend it to everyone.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
The book isn't only letters though, yes, they make up most of the book, but there is also a little bit of history, explanations to what children wanted (because a lot of the terms are old and not used any more), trends in presents and some other titbits that I really enjoyed reading (even though it kind of spoiled some of the letters, yes, it really did that).
The letters themselves were really fun to read, and I laughed, the children back then were just as "bad" as the kids these days at times. Asking for tons of presents, a lot of stuff was pretty expensive back in that day. It seems kids will always ask for a mountain of presents no matter what age they live in.
There are also some kids who ask for stuff for friends, or for the poor people, I loved those. Kids who would even send with the letter some money, and even if it isn't much these days, it was a lot in those days.
I liked that they kept the letters as they were. Spelling errors and all. At times it was a bit hard to read, but generally I could get the gist of some of the really bad letters.
It just gave that extra bit of authenticity. Since kids just spell things wrong, I would have been sceptic if they had fixed up everything.
There are also small illustrations (stamps?) which I liked, though after seeing some pass by for the x number of time I got a bit tired of them. I wonder why they didn't vary some more? I am sure that with so much history behind Santa there must be more stamps or images you could use.
But I really liked the book, and I would highly recommend it to everyone.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
November 29, 2015
I think this book ran long. I lost interest about half way through, but I did find the letters themselves super fun and interesting. I loved how many of the kids called themselves, "Your little friend....". I also really liked how dag gum sweet some of these kids were. There were so many letters of kids asking Santa to please not forget the poor kids and if he happens to run out of stuff he can take some of the stuff from their stockings and give to the poor kids. Oh! And then there were letters from kids who had wanted to donate their money and had sewn clothes for Santa to deliver to the poor kids of the neighborhood? Sweet.
December 14, 2018
This is exactly what you'd expect. It's various letters children have written to Santa that ended up being published in newspapers during the years given. The letters range from funny to sad to touching. I especially liked how many children mentioned other, less fortunate in their letters and in many cases made sure Santa knew to give the poor children gifts first, then give them gifts if any were left. There are also many anecdotes and explanations about items mentioned in the lists as well as what was going on in the world during that particular time. If the title sounds like something you'd want to read, then this is for you as this is exactly as advertised.
January 2, 2016
I was a luck winner of "Dear Santa" from goodreads.com. Ironically, I had recently decided that I would purchase this book from a book club when I found this book as a giveaway through this site. The book was just as wonderful as I had anticipated. This book not only includes many personal letters to Santa, but also gives information about the origins of St Nick and what was happening in the world when these letters were written. I would highly recommend this book to any "believer". My daughter and mother have both asked to share my copy. Thanks again!
October 24, 2019
This is a lovable little Christmas book. It includes a short history of the origins of Santa Claus, and history of letters to Santa. Each chapter begins with historical information of the decade covered, which adds a lot to the interest.
The letters range from cute, funny, touching to sad. For most that gave the writer's age, I thought they were surprisingly well written for their age. I thought it was most interesting that the age range went up to 14 and 15! Did some children really stay innocent so much longer in the past?
The letters range from cute, funny, touching to sad. For most that gave the writer's age, I thought they were surprisingly well written for their age. I thought it was most interesting that the age range went up to 14 and 15! Did some children really stay innocent so much longer in the past?
December 22, 2017
History through the eyes of children
These letters reflect the world around the children and their understanding of the times. Some are funny and a bit greedy. But many tell of families in crisis with dad not working and mom doing laundry. These kids ask for shoes, socks and mittens. The saddest are those asking that Santa not forget them again this year. Very thought-provoking.
These letters reflect the world around the children and their understanding of the times. Some are funny and a bit greedy. But many tell of families in crisis with dad not working and mom doing laundry. These kids ask for shoes, socks and mittens. The saddest are those asking that Santa not forget them again this year. Very thought-provoking.
December 24, 2016
A delightful little book to read leading up to Christmas. I won't repeat any reviews here but to add how wonderful it is to see Christmas, and Christmas history, through the eyes of a child!
Many of these letters made my wife and I tear up...and to appreciate how we are blessed today!
Merry Christmas!
Many of these letters made my wife and I tear up...and to appreciate how we are blessed today!
Merry Christmas!
December 22, 2017
A delightful book of children's letters to Santa from 1870 - 1920. It gives an overview of how the concept of Santa started and where. It also gives definitions to some names of toys popular at the time. It was a fun read, seeing how much things have changed. I found it quite sad at times and funny at others. Good read.
December 12, 2016
This book was so sweet. The introduction spoke a little about the history of Santa Claus, and the rest of the book was divided into decades. Each section explained a little bit about how Santa evolved and how world events influenced Christmas and the children's Christmas letters.
December 18, 2017
Cute
Quite nostalgic and magical in its simplicity. The heart of children at Christmas doesn’t seem to have a ‘past due’ date, which makes this little compendium all that more charming.
Quite nostalgic and magical in its simplicity. The heart of children at Christmas doesn’t seem to have a ‘past due’ date, which makes this little compendium all that more charming.
December 21, 2017
Very sweet book. The letters were cute and charming and enlightening and heartbreaking. The historical references were interesting and the retro illustrations were beautiful. I wish there had been some other way to explain the old time minutia without telegraphing it before we got to the letters.
December 25, 2017
This is a sweet book of children's wish lists sent to and published in newspapers. I enjoyed reading them. A quick read leading into Christmas. Many of the letters reminded me to have gratitude for all we have.
December 2, 2017
So sweet! This was the perfect way for me to kick off December and the holiday season. I'm feeling all warm and squishy and reading this collection of Santa letters from long ago. ❤️
December 21, 2017
What a sweet and enjoyable read!
December 20, 2017
By turns heartbreaking and hysterical... I really enjoyed this little book!
January 17, 2018
Reading letters to Santa written by children 100 +/- years ago can really put things into perspective.
October 30, 2018
Dear Santa
Dear Santa: Children's Christmas Letters and Wish Lists, 1870-1920 by Chronicle Books was a very fun read. Some were very sad and others very funny.
Dear Santa: Children's Christmas Letters and Wish Lists, 1870-1920 by Chronicle Books was a very fun read. Some were very sad and others very funny.
December 21, 2018
A very sweet and simple read. Letters to Santa, oh how simple things were when children asked not just for themselves.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews