by Palesa, age 9 from Maseru, Lesotho, asks Santa about Christmas names, Lesotho’s mountain kingdom, and its constitutional monarchy.
Dear Santa, my name is Palesa, and I am nine years old. I live in Maseru, Lesotho, where my me says our entire country is so high up in the mountains that people call it the Kingdom in the Sky.
Dear Palesa, a kingdom in the sky sounds like exactly the sort of neighbor a sleigh driver appreciates, your me picked a wonderfully fitting nickname for home.
Santa, I have three questions.
Do you know Christmas names? My teacher says some children are named things like Noel or Carol because of the holiday.
I do, Palesa, names like Noel, Carol, Holly, and Natalie all trace back to Christmas traditions in one way or another. Any name that carries a little bit of the season inside it has always struck me as a lovely gift all on its own.
My teacher says Lesotho is a whole country completely surrounded by another country, South Africa. Is that true?
It is true, Palesa, Lesotho is one of only a few countries in the entire world completely surrounded by a single neighboring country. I always double check my map before that particular stop, it is a wonderfully unique little kingdom tucked entirely inside another.
My me says Lesotho is still ruled by a king, alongside an elected government. Is that true?
It is true, Palesa, Lesotho is a constitutional monarchy, with a king serving as head of state alongside an elected government that makes many of the day to day decisions. That kind of shared responsibility, old tradition working alongside new ideas, is a thoughtful way to run a kingdom.
Merry Christmas, Santa.
Your friend,
Palesa Mokoena
Maseru, Lesotho
P.S. Does living in the Kingdom in the Sky mean you fly closer to us on your way past?
It certainly feels that way, Palesa, your mountains bring me practically to eye level.
