Christmas is just around the corner and children around the country will be feverishly counting down until the big day arrives and finally finding out what Santa has brought them.
Of course, the excitable anticipation for December 25 is nothing new, with generations of young people having gone through the same giddy thrill over the decades. The only difference is what they were hoping Father Christmas would put in their stockings.
Family history experts Ancestry have explored the archive at Newspapers.com to uncover letters from children to the North Pole dating back more than a century.
The letters range from heart-warming to heart-breaking and everything in between, including:
- Amanda from Bucknall in 1967, who asked Santa if her mum can have pop singer Tom Jones for Christmas
- Seven-year-old Helen from London in 1976, who said she won’t leave Santa a whiskey on Christmas Eve to ensure he is not drinking and driving his sleigh
- Howard Hall in 1903, who had a little sister who is ill and when asking Santa for presents for both himself and his sister graciously added, “but we can’t expect them both, so I’d rather you’d please send my little sister a picture book”.
A spokesperson for Ancestry said: "Newspapers.com is an important tool for people looking into their family history and wanting to feel a closer connection to their ancestors this festive season. Understanding how our family members once lived often paints a broader picture of their life and experiences at the time."
‘Santa, please collect your mail’ - 1976
This section of The Evening Post titled ‘Santa, please collect your mail’ mentions many letters from young children to Santa Claus
Seven-year-old Helen, from London, wrote to say that she had persuaded her parents not to leave whiskey for Santa because “you can’t drink and drive a sleigh on Christmas Eve.”
An optimistic nine-year-old was very understanding that it “must have been difficult” to get a “real tractor and a real bicycle” and wisely instructed Santa to look through the Yellow Pages to find one.
Another eight-year-old complained he received a baby sister last year instead of a bicycle, though added: “I’ve decided to keep the baby, but could I have the bicycle this year …?”
‘Dear Santa, thanks for washing up last year’ - 1968
The Evening Sentinel highlights a letter that was sent from a child thanking Santa for washing up the glass of milk that they had left out for him on Christmas Eve.
Another letter from little Carol Ann, from Newcastle, pleads with Santa not to drink too much wine or eat too many cakes or he will be unable to deliver all the presents for the children.
‘Socks without holes, ‘Santa’ – 1967
The Evening Sentinel highlights a story from Amanda, in Bucknall, who asks Santa if her mum can have pop-singer Tom Jones for Christmas.
Another child in Bucknall had a much more humble request and instead simply asked if Santa could get her father some socks for Christmas that do not have any holes in them.
‘Still, they come: Letters from all over the midlands to Santa Claus’ - 1903
The Birmingham Evening Dispatch features a section highlighting what different children would love to receive on Christmas morning.
The stories range from a heartwarming to heartbreaking and everything in between, with nine-year-old Alice Bohm sending a return letter to “Missier Sandy Claws” explaining how she “nearly catched” Santa by trying to stay up all night last Christmas.
An anxious Florence Langley wrote a letter asking for Santa to fill the vacant chair her grandmother left behind after her passing. Florence describes her grandmother as her “Only friend who sends her Christmas presents,” and asks for Santa to “fill that vacant place”.
Howard Hall has a little sister who is ill and requests a picture book for her and a ball for himself, adding “but we can’t expect them both, so I’d rather you’d please to send my little sister a picture book”
