by A painter in Savannah asks which color Santa is, what a salt marsh is, and what a planned city is
A Letter to Santa from Savannah, Georgia
Dear Santa,
Hi Santa! My name is Hazel and I am 8 years old. I live in Savannah, Georgia, a pretty old city full of shady squares and oak trees draped with Spanish moss. I love painting and collecting leaves. My question is: which color is Santa Claus? My geography question is: what is a salt marsh? And my social studies question is: what is a planned city? Thanks, Santa!
Love, Hazel (age 8)
Santa’s Reply
Ho ho ho, hello Hazel! A painter who collects leaves will enjoy a colorful answer. My main color today is red, trimmed with fluffy white, topped off with a cheery red hat. That has been my signature look in pictures for well over a hundred years, easy to spot against the white snow on a dark winter night. Here is a little secret, though: long, long ago, I was sometimes pictured in other colors too, including green. But red is the color most people know and love me in now. So if you paint me, reach for that bright, jolly red.
Your geography question: what is a salt marsh
A salt marsh is a coastal wetland that is flooded by salty seawater when the tide rises and drains when it falls. Your own Savannah is surrounded by beautiful salt marshes, full of waving grasses, crabs, and wading birds. These marshes are important because they protect the coast from storms and provide a rich home for countless creatures. Read more at National Geographic Kids.
Your social studies question: a planned city
A planned city is one that was carefully laid out on purpose before it was built, instead of growing up by chance. Your own Savannah is famous as one of the first planned cities in America, designed long ago around a tidy grid of leafy public squares. Those green squares still make the city lovely and easy to stroll through today. Explore more at Britannica Kids.
Paint me in red for me, Hazel. Yours warmly from the North Pole, Santa Claus.
