by Maple from Burlington asks Santa about a Santa breakfast, learns about Lake Champlain, and hears about Burlington’s real Church Street Marketplace Christmas tradition
Dear Santa, my name is Maple and I am nine years old. I live in Burlington, Vermont, where my grandma says our whole main street closes to cars every December so people can walk freely and admire the decorations.
Dear Maple, I have flown over that exact car-free street myself, and your grandma’s description is entirely accurate.
Santa, I have three questions.
My first question is, is there a Santa breakfast? My family wants to attend one this year, somewhere proper and festive.
Several community centers and restaurants host festive breakfast gatherings this time of year, Maple, and a proper family breakfast sounds like a lovely tradition to start.
My second question is about our lake. My teacher says Lake Champlain is large enough that some people call it almost a sixth Great Lake. Is that true?
It is, Maple. Lake Champlain is large and significant enough that it is sometimes informally called the sixth Great Lake, though it is not officially one of them. Flying over its frozen, moonlit surface each Christmas Eve is a genuinely peaceful part of my route.
My third question is about Church Street Marketplace. My teacher says it has been a pedestrian-only street for decades. Is that true?
It is true, Maple. Church Street Marketplace has been a car-free pedestrian area since the 1980s, filled with shops, restaurants, and festive decorations each December. I always enjoy flying low over that glowing, walkable street.
Merry Christmas, Santa.
Your friend,
Maple Beaudry
Burlington, Vermont
P.S. Will you join us for the Santa breakfast?
If my schedule allows, Maple, most certainly.
