by Solomiya, age 8 from Kyiv, Ukraine, asks Santa about the Christmas Wrapping song, the Dnipro River, and the Ukrainian didukh tradition.
Dear Santa, my name is Solomiya, and I am eight years old. I live in Kyiv, Ukraine, where my babusya says our city is one of the oldest in all of Eastern Europe, with history stretching back over a thousand years.
Dear Solomiya, a city with that much history deserves a very respectful, very careful flyover, your babusya picked a truly remarkable hometown.
Santa, I have three questions.
Do you know the Christmas wrapping song? My mama hums it while she wraps presents every single year.
That particular song belongs to the musicians who wrote it, Solomiya, so I will leave the exact tune to your mama’s humming. What I can say is that a cheerful, upbeat song about wrapping gifts is exactly the kind of music I love hearing drift out of a busy kitchen in December.
My teacher says Kyiv sits along the Dnipro River, one of the biggest rivers in Europe. Is that true?
It is true, Solomiya, the Dnipro flows right through the heart of your city on its long journey to the Black Sea. I always follow its glimmer at night to help find my way to your rooftop.
My babusya says our family displays a special bundle of wheat called a didukh on Christmas Eve, to honor our ancestors. Is that true?
It is true, Solomiya, the didukh is a beautiful old Ukrainian tradition, a sheaf of wheat brought into the home on Christmas Eve to honor family and ancestors and wish for a good harvest ahead. Traditions like that, connecting a family’s past to its present table, are exactly what make Christmas feel like it belongs to you.
Merry Christmas, Santa.
Your friend,
Solomiya Kovalenko
Kyiv, Ukraine
P.S. Can you hum along with my mama’s wrapping song this year?
I will do my best, Solomiya, though my humming is better appreciated at a respectful distance.
