Blogger’s Note: Over Christmas 2003, we became annual pen-pals with an elf named Siberius Quill, and he has again delivered this year! Transcriptions of the 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 letters from him can be seen in the Archives.

My dearest Children!

Another year spent, and quickly! They say, among Your Folk, that the years go Ever Faster the older you get—imagine, then, when your age reaches into the centuries! It seems only Yesterday I was introducing myself, and here we are, Old Hands, as they say.

The Watchers Corps tells me you’ve been Exceptionally Good, all told. All Children have their naughty moments, but according to your assigned Day-Watcher Seamus Farseer, yours are scattered and relatively minor in the Big Scheme of Things. Scopes, as we call him, lacks the patience of his grandfather, the astronomer Nebular—he quickly tires of good families like yours! Old Nebbs has scolded him many a time for betting cups of hot cocoa on the wrongdoing of Other Children!

Lady Emma Rose, now in Kindergarten: already you’ve made a name for Yourself as a child of Honesty and Kindness. It is hard, no doubt, to be the Only Girl among Boys—but Always Remember: it is more important to be Nice than to be Noticed! You are lovely and polite, sparkling like the snow, as your Dziadzi’s song says, so you’ll always be seen, regardless. And young Master Trevor: with So Many older kids about, it is no wonder you feel Overlooked, but believe me: we see and hear you, too! Patience, little Master: Good things come—truly!

Magnificent questions this year, Masters Brendan and Gabriel! To G. first: You asked how Father Christmas writes so well, by which I suppose you mean, how does he make such Splendid Letters when he writes Children by hand. Well, the Old Man has written the notes for So Many Christmases now, he’s had plenty of practice! But more importantly, he makes his Joy (which is Abundant!) manifest through his pen! Think of it this way: You must feel what you want your Reader to feel, then imagine what you want them to see, and only then put pen to paper!

And B., you asked about the Differences between St. Nicholas of Myra and Santa Claus, aside from the obvious—by which I suppose you mean the fact that Nicholas was an Archbishop who died circa 342, while your Santa is evergreen and ever-present (not to mention no longer a priest!). Sister Mary Faith Splendour of the Devout Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Winter tells me that this is an Especially Common question among Children your age. She reminds us that the simplest answer is best when you’re young—and that is, there is no difference; they are one and the same.

But you, Master Brendan, are a decade Wiser than when you arrived, so she shares this: The differences are all those you expect between the physical and the spiritual; the mortal and the immortal. While a Turkish priest can only work what Miracles own his imperfect Faith and frail Form will allow, the Spirit of Christmases Past, Present, and Future can do whatever needs doing, on a whim, fueled by the Faith of millions of people just like you! Miracles are difficult for Human Minds to comprehend, which is why your thinking deeply on these subjects is So Important!

Which brings me to it, at last: There is something I must ask of you, B., as Eldest Brother. As a Tweener, as you say, you may be called upon to take on New Responsibilities with regard to Christmas, as your Father did when he was ten. This new role is of the utmost importance and is, for Now, entrusted to You and You Alone. In a quiet moment, ask your Folks—I warn you, they might be caught off guard, but I’ve no doubt they’ll share it with you The Instant they are Ready!

Happy Christmas and Safe Travels to your Busia and Dziadzi. God Bless You and your Family. I wish you All the Best in the New Year—and Always!

Yours truly,

Siberius Quill

P.S. You may have noticed, as I have, that the older children get, the smaller their gifts (video games, for example, instead of great rumbling racetracks!). Since Santa’s sack is Magical, of course, this has no physical effect on how much he can carry—but it does require a recalibration of the spells. Two Mathematimagicians, Voluminous Theorim and Lucia Croix-Parallux, are responsible for such geometric calculations in the Fourth and Fifth Dimensions—assuring that everyone’s gifts show up precisely where they should in Space and Time.

Blogger’s Note: Over Christmas 2003, we became annual pen-pals with an elf named Siberius Quill. Transcriptions of the 2003, 2004 and 2005 letters from him can be seen in the Archives. Here is the letter from 2006.

My dearest Children!

A very Merry Christmas to you all, Dear Children! Rest assured, your Wish Lists and Artwork arrived in fine form, and I must say, you are becoming Quite Accomplished as Artists! I shared your pictures with several Friends before passing them on to your Father Christmas. Dmitri Longbristle, an Elfin cookie-painter and candy-striper, loved them! (We laugh and call him “Drips,” although he reminds us that he never makes a mistake he can’t eat, so nobody’s ever seen one—truly!). Drips was most impressed, Master Brendan, with your steady hand and eye for detail.

As for you, Master Gabriel and Miss Emma Rose, my cousins Versius Goodcheer and Sketchum Quill, who design Christmas cards, said you should consider making cards Yourselves next year! Your dear Parents and Grandparents would love them, no doubt.

Santa loved them, as well, of course—and your Lists were quite reasonable. He is Especially Pleased that the four of you play so well together—even sharing in fine fashion with young Master Trevor. Don’t think it goes Unnoticed! Certainly, there are Things he cannot have—Things he would swallow and Things he would break—but he wants so badly to be like the Three of You. And I can’t think of three fine role models. Be good to him, that he may grow to be good, as well.

As always, of course, Santa brings What’s Best—so you’ll get some of What You Want, some Things you didn’t ask for, and some Things not at all. It can be hard to remember that Christmas, in all its radiant splendor, is not about Things a whit—but about Family, Humility, and Peace. If you are Lucky enough to have those things, give Thanks and be Content …

That’s a Hard Idea for young and budding Brains. Perhaps the eldest brother can explain? You’ve done well, B.—reading aloud my Old Letters so G. and “Rosie” (as the little one says) to teach them How and Why we do What we do. You may even have done too well! I was amazed to see not a Single Question this year!

I suspect that the younger Children will have fresh Concerns in the future. In the meantime, if you have Questions between now and Thanksgiving Next, do ask your Father. He is a good Resource on most things Santa, and loves the Spirit of Christmas that we Elves and Kris Kringle embody. And your lovely Mother—she embodies the Christmas before Bishop Nicholas was a Saint! As your parents’ Christmas Letter said, your “very own Mary,” a woman of God who lives for the Good of Others.

Happy Christmas and Safe Travels. May the Skies be blue, and the Earth, white, for your trip home. I wish you All the Best in the New Year—and Always!

God Bless You, Children, and your Family. Yours truly,

Siberius Quill

P.S. You’ve always taken an interest in my Elfin colleagues—tell your Dziadzi that our farrier, Frictz Grypsum, rubbed the hooves of the reindeer with a balm of bee’s wax, flint dust and mountain goat dander especially for rooftops as pitched as his!

Blogger’s Note: Over Christmas 2003, we became annual pen-pals with an elf named Siberius Quill. Transcriptions of the 2003 and 2004 letters from him can be seen in the Archives. Here is the letter from 2005.

My dearest Children!

Merry Christmas, all! It has been such a pleasure watching you grow — in Body, Mind and Spirit — this past year. Master Brendan, reading at a level far beyond his age; Master Gabriel, starting school, making friends, and working numbers in his head; and young Miss Emma, ever the Angel, blossoming into such a lovely little princess. And Master Trevor! Up and walking, a whirlwind of smiles and mild destruction! Don’t get too frustrated, Friends — he won’t be a toddler forever!

You may wonder how it is that I’ve been watching you this past year, when I’m a Correspondent and not a Watcher at all. The truth of the Matter is that, since I’m assigned to you, I can periodically check in — the Watchers have a magic Glass, like a periscope, that I can use to look in on you and see what you’re about, just by swivel it about three complete times and saying, “I spy with my Little Eye … the Thorp children!” I also have Snow Globe that does the same, although not as clearly or closely — I shake it, say a few words, and in a flurry I’m gazing down on Your Neighborhood, watching you walk to the bus stop or play in the yard.

Which brings me to one of your questions this year: What days does Santa check The List? The List is maintained year-round but the Elves in the Watchers Corps, who monitor every child and update their notes daily. The Old Man can check in on the Watchers whenever he wants, as can the Watchers check in on you — but most Children warrant only an occasional peek a few times throughout the year, at those times when Naughtiness is most tempting — around Bedtime, say, or on the Way to School, when Mom and Dad aren’t around. As I told Miss Emma last year, it takes a Great Deal of Naughtiness to wind up on that list, and with Parents as demanding as yours, you’ve little to worry about! Listen to them, Children! They love you and will help you on Your Own Way!

Ah! I’m rambling! As the song says, Father Christmas checks the list twice: for your country, once between Halloween and Thanksgiving (some children are bound to be Naughty on All Hallows Eve!) and again between Thanksgiving and Christmas (while most Little Ones get increasing Excitable and forget their Manners as Christmas approaches, some Bad Seeds take root and bear fruit in that last month, in Hope the St. Nicholas soon will be there!

As for the Old Man’s name: St. Nicholas, as he was originally, was a Catholic bishop (like your Harry Flynn, if I’m not mistaken) long ago, who secretly left money and treats for the poor by hiding things in their shoes, leaving them on their windowsills or dropping them down their chimneys. The Dutch called St. Nicholas “Sint Nicolaas” and “Sinterclaas” — this latter name became Santa Claus in America. The English call him Father Christmas, which the French say “Pere Noel.” And people the World Around call him Kris Kringle, which is derived from “Chistkind” or “Christ Child” — a reminder that Jesus is Born this Day! Like the Magi, He delivers Gifts and Blessings to our future Kings and Queens, the Children of the World!

You’ve also asked how long it takes to make All Those Toys, and how Santa can visit all Children in One Night. Remember, we no longer make all the toys — we’ve no skill for making Computer Games and such! But with So Many children, we build, order, test, bind and protect toys year-round. Those children Less Fortunate than you, who don’t have toys, or clothes, or even enough food to eat, get what attention we can give to them even in the Summer. So we’re always Very Busy! We keep up the Same Way old St. Nick does: Hard Work and Handy Winks.

I suspect you understand Hard Work as well can be expected for your age. Handy Winks are what Your Parents might refer to as doing something “In the Blink of an Eye!” It’s magic, really — So Much of Life is spent with our eyes closed (sleeping, blinking, sneezing and prayer!) that Santa conjured a spell to help us work Super-Quickly when our eyes are closed! We can accomplish more in a blink that most Folks do in an hour!

Tremendous questions! I so enjoy sharing with you. A note about Gifts: You will not find Everything you asked for this year — other Children have Greater Need, and certain of the games and movies you’d like, Master G., aren’t appropriate for you yet. Still and all, I suspect you’ll be pleased!

God Bless You, Children, and your Family. Yours truly,

Quill

P.S. So you’re amateur Stargazers, now, eh? Wonderful! Our Chief Astronomer and Navigator, Nebular Farseer, bids you Clear Skies!