by A history-loving boy in Cairo asks where Santa came from, the largest desert, and why history matters
A Letter to Santa from Cairo, Egypt
Dear Santa,
Hello Santa, my name is Yusuf and I am 9 years old. I live in Cairo, not far from the great pyramids, and I love football and reading about ancient kings. My question is: where did Santa Claus come from? My geography question is: what is the largest hot desert in the world? And my social studies question is: why is it important to learn about history? Shukran, Santa!
Love, Yusuf (age 9)
Santa’s Reply
Ho ho ho, Yusuf! A boy who lives near the pyramids and loves ancient kings is a boy after my own heart, because I am quite ancient myself. You asked where I came from. My story began far away in a warm seaside town called Myra, where a kind and generous man named Saint Nicholas once lived about 1,700 years ago. His good deeds were so famous that people told stories about him for centuries. Those stories traveled across many lands and many languages, and slowly turned the gentle Saint Nicholas into the jolly Santa Claus you know today, who now lives at the North Pole.
Your geography question: the largest hot desert
The largest hot desert in the world is the Sahara, and it stretches right across the top of Africa, including part of your own Egypt. It is so vast that several countries could fit inside it, and it is filled with golden sand, rocky hills, and surprising hidden life. Read more at National Geographic Kids.
Your social studies question: why history matters
Learning history is important because it tells us the story of the people who came before us. When we know how people in the past lived, what they built, and what they learned, we can make better choices today. Your own Egypt is one of the greatest history teachers in the world, with its pyramids that have stood for thousands of years. Explore more at Britannica Kids.
Keep reading about those ancient kings, Yusuf. Yours from the North Pole, Santa Claus.
