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Letters to Santa show children's pandemic fears

Letters to Santa - Level 4

Santa's mailbag has revealed the pandemic fears of children across the world. A post office that answers mail it receives for Santa read the fears children have about COVID-19. They have the usual requests for Christmas gifts, but many give an idea of how the pandemic is troubling children. The post office said: "This year, we really feel their fears - for themselves, their grandparents or their parents. It's what really emerges from their letters."

The post office has been getting 12,000 letters a day. Its team of 60 letter writers says children are telling Santa about their biggest fears. Parents are in the dark about this. One child wrote: "This year, more than the others, I need magic and to believe in you." Another gave Santa a mask so he would not spread the virus. The letters to Santa help children in lockdowns, especially those who have not seen their grandparents.

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Letters to Santa - Level 5

An unlikely source has revealed the pandemic fears of children across the world - Santa's mailbag. A post office that answers mail it receives for Santa has described the concerns children have about COVID-19. The letters have the usual requests for Christmas gifts, but many have emotional outpourings that give an insight into how the pandemic is troubling children. A writer at the post office who replies to the notes said: "This year, we really feel their fears - for themselves, their grandparents or their parents. It's what really emerges from their letters. And in every country."

The post office has been inundated. It gets 12,000 letters a day. It has a team of 60 letter writers. They say children are confiding in Santa about their heartfelt fears. Perhaps parents are in the dark about this. One child wrote: "This year, more than the others, I need magic and to believe in you." Another put a mask inside her envelope so Santa would not spread the virus. The post office said the letters to Santa are a kind of release for children in lockdowns, especially those deprived of grandparents. It said: "Children are putting into words everything they have felt during this period."

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Letters to Santa - Level 6

An unlikely source has revealed the pandemic fears of thousands of children across the world - Santa's mailbag. A post office in France that answers mail it receives for Santa has described the concerns children have been expressing about COVID-19. The letters contain the usual requests for Christmas gifts, but many have emotional outpourings that provide an insight into how the coronavirus pandemic is troubling young minds. The post office has been responding to "Dear Santa" letters since 1962. A writer who replies to the notes said: "This year, we really feel their fears - for themselves, their grandparents or their parents. It's what really emerges from their letters. And in every country."

The post office has been inundated with around 12,000 letters per day. It has a team of 60 letter-writing "elves". They say that many children are confiding in Santa and expressing heartfelt fears that perhaps parents are in the dark about. One child wrote: "This year, more than the others, I need magic and to believe in you." Another child slipped a mask inside her envelope for Santa to not spread the virus. A "chief elf" explained the emotional toll on children. She said: "The letters to Santa are a sort of release for them. All this year they have been in lockdowns and have been deprived of school and their grandpas and grandmas....Children are putting into words everything they have felt during this period."

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25 online activities    |    27-page printable    |    2-page mini-lesson