{"id":3930,"date":"2012-12-19T08:57:39","date_gmt":"2012-12-19T13:57:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/?p=3930"},"modified":"2024-11-20T15:35:00","modified_gmt":"2024-11-20T20:35:00","slug":"letters-to-santa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/?p=3930","title":{"rendered":"Letters to Santa"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_3935\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3935\" style=\"width: 282px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/sgnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu\/sgnewspapers\/view?docId=news\/whd1911\/whd1911-1523.xml\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"  wp-image-3935\" title=\"whd1911-1523_dec22\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/whd1911-1523_dec221-294x300.jpg\" alt=\"Santa Claus at a desk looking through a Directory of Boys and Girls, Waycross Evening Herald, December 22, 1911\" width=\"282\" height=\"287\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/whd1911-1523_dec221-294x300.jpg 294w, https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/whd1911-1523_dec221-1003x1024.jpg 1003w, https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/whd1911-1523_dec221.jpg 1427w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 282px) 100vw, 282px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3935\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Waycross Evening Herald, December 22, 1911<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The tradition of children writing letters to Santa Claus\u00a0 rose in popularity in the second half of the nineteenth century in the United States. By the early 1900s, newspapers in south Georgia began publishing these letters in their December issues. They provide amusing and sometimes poignant insight into Christmas culture, familial relationships, charity, war, and consumerism from a century ago. The letters hint at other traditions related to Santa Claus, including his list of good and bad children and the practice of leaving foods for him to eat. The letters reproduced below and hundreds of others can be found in the <a href=\"http:\/\/dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/sgnewspapers\">South Georgia Historic Newspapers Archive<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/sgnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu\/sgnewspapers\/view?docId=news\/wcj1902\/wcj1902-0491.xml\"><em>Waycross Journal<\/em>, December 16, 1902<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/sgnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu\/sgnewspapers\/view?docId=news\/wcj1902\/wcj1902-0491.xml\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3944\" title=\"wcj1902-0491\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/wcj1902-0491-171x300.jpg\" alt=\"Letter to Santa from Willie Thomas, 1902.\" width=\"256\" height=\"451\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/sgnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu\/sgnewspapers\/view?docId=news\/bsl1911\/bsl1911-0392.xml\"><em>Bainbridge Search Light<\/em>, December 15, 1911<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/sgnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu\/sgnewspapers\/view?docId=news\/bsl1911\/bsl1911-0392.xml\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3950 size-medium\" title=\"Bainbridge Search Light, December 15, 1911\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/bsl1911-0392_dec15-300x256.jpg\" alt=\"Letter to Santa Claus from Eva Lucile Chandler. 1911.\" width=\"300\" height=\"256\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/bsl1911-0392_dec15-300x256.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/bsl1911-0392_dec15.jpg 609w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/sgnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu\/sgnewspapers\/view?docId=news\/tte1918\/tte1918-1482.xml\"><em>Daily Times Enterprise<\/em> (Thomasville), December 24, 1918<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/sgnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu\/sgnewspapers\/view?docId=news\/tte1918\/tte1918-1482.xml\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3960\" title=\"Daily Times Enterprise (Thomasville), December 24, 1918\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/tte1918-1482_Dec241-300x80.jpg\" alt=\"Letter to Santa from Lula Mae Daniels. 1918.\" width=\"339\" height=\"89\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">space<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/sgnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu\/sgnewspapers\/view?docId=news\/vlt1905\/vlt1905-0219.xml\"><em>Valdosta Times<\/em>, December 12, 1905<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/sgnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu\/sgnewspapers\/view?docId=news\/vlt1905\/vlt1905-0219.xml\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3962 size-medium\" title=\"Valdosta Times, December 12, 1905\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/vlt1905-0219_dec12-300x158.jpg\" alt=\"Letter to Santa Claus from Eva Wilby, 1905.\" width=\"300\" height=\"158\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/vlt1905-0219_dec12-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/vlt1905-0219_dec12.jpg 505w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">space<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/sgnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu\/sgnewspapers\/view?docId=news\/awr1913\/awr1913-0591.xml\"><em>Americus Times-Recorder<\/em>, December 11, 1913<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/sgnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu\/sgnewspapers\/view?docId=news\/awr1913\/awr1913-0591.xml\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3968 size-medium\" title=\"Americus Times-Recorder, December 11, 1913\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/awr1913-0591_dec11-275x300.jpg\" alt=\"Letter to Santa from William Merritt. 1913.\" width=\"275\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/awr1913-0591_dec11-275x300.jpg 275w, https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/awr1913-0591_dec11.jpg 527w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 275px) 100vw, 275px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">space<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/sgnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu\/sgnewspapers\/view?docId=news\/tte1918\/tte1918-1482.xml\"><em>Daily Times Enterprise<\/em> (Thomasville), December 24, 1918<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/sgnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu\/sgnewspapers\/view?docId=news\/tte1918\/tte1918-1482.xml\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3970\" title=\"Daily Times Enterprise (Thomasville), December 24, 1918\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Copy-of-tte1918-1482_Dec24-300x218.jpg\" alt=\"Letter to Santa from the Allagood sisters, 1918.\" width=\"336\" height=\"244\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Copy-of-tte1918-1482_Dec24-300x218.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Copy-of-tte1918-1482_Dec24.jpg 524w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 336px) 100vw, 336px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">space<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/sgnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu\/sgnewspapers\/view?docId=news\/awr1913\/awr1913-0591.xml\"><em>Americus Times-Recorder<\/em>, December 11, 1913<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/sgnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu\/sgnewspapers\/view?docId=news\/awr1913\/awr1913-0591.xml\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3984 size-medium\" title=\"Americus Times-Recorder, December 11, 1913\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/awr1913-0591_dec11a-271x300.jpg\" alt=\"Letter to Santa from James Johnson, 1913.\" width=\"271\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/awr1913-0591_dec11a-271x300.jpg 271w, https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/awr1913-0591_dec11a.jpg 514w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 271px) 100vw, 271px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The tradition of children writing letters to Santa Claus\u00a0 rose in popularity in the second half of the nineteenth century in the United States. By the early 1900s, newspapers in south Georgia began publishing these letters in their December issues. They provide amusing and sometimes poignant insight into Christmas culture, familial relationships, charity, war, and &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/?p=3930\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Letters to Santa&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[165,167,16,98,166,164],"class_list":["post-3930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dlg-collections","tag-bainbridge-ga","tag-christmas","tag-newspapers","tag-thomasville-ga","tag-valdosta-ga","tag-waycross-ga"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3930"}],"version-history":[{"count":72,"href":"https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3930\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9099,"href":"https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3930\/revisions\/9099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}