by Fenna, age 8, writes to Santa from Rotterdam, Netherlands, and asks how does santa fit down the chimney?
Dear Santa,
My name is Fenna, and I am 8 years old. I live in Rotterdam, Netherlands, where her papa says the modern skyline looks nothing like the rest of the country because so much was rebuilt after the war.
Dear Fenna, that is exactly the sort of detail I like to hear about Rotterdam. It tells me you are paying close attention to the world around you, which is a fine habit to keep. Please keep noticing things like that.
Santa, I have three questions. First, how does Santa fit down the chimney? My mom and I were arguing about it at breakfast.
Practice, mostly, along with a bit of old magic that lets the chimney widen just enough right when I need it to. Between you and me, the cookies help motivate the squeeze.
Second, my teacher was telling us about the port of Rotterdam, one of the busiest shipping ports in all of Europe, right at the edge of her neighborhood. Do you fly over that on your Christmas Eve route?
Every single year, without fail. The port of rotterdam, one of the busiest shipping ports in all of europe, right at the edge of her neighborhood is one of the sights the reindeer look forward to most, and I always tell the newer reindeer to watch closely as we pass over, because there are not many views in the whole wide world quite like it. Rudolph tends to slow down just a little right there, and I have learned not to rush him.
Third, is it true that in the Netherlands? My family was talking about it and I want to know if it is real.
It certainly is true. In the netherlands, sinterklaas is said to arrive each november from spain by steamboat, accompanied by helpers called pieten. I think that is a wonderful thing for a family to talk about, because customs like that are exactly what make Netherlands feel like Netherlands, and they are precisely the sort of thing that keeps a community close together, especially in the winter months.
Thank you for your letter and your good questions, Fenna. Keep noticing the world around you, keep asking honest questions, and keep being kind to the people in Rotterdam. That is the whole spirit of Christmas right there. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas, Santa.
Your friend,
Fenna
Rotterdam, Netherlands
P.S. Does Sinterklaas ever visit Rotterdam too, or is that only your job?
We split the map fairly evenly, and Sinterklaas handles that part of the world beautifully. Consider it a very old and very friendly arrangement.
