by Dimitris, age 8, writes to Santa from Thessaloniki, Greece, and asks how fast does santa’s sleigh go?
Dear Santa,
My name is Dimitris, and I am 8 years old. I live in Thessaloniki, Greece, where his pappou says the White Tower by the harbor has stood watch over the city for centuries.
Dear Dimitris, that is exactly the sort of detail I like to hear about Thessaloniki. 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 fast does Santa’s sleigh go? My mom and I were arguing about it at breakfast.
Fast enough to visit every child in every time zone in a single night, which my elves tell me is technically impossible, and which I have therefore stopped explaining and simply keep doing anyway.
Second, my teacher was telling us about the Thermaic Gulf, the bay that his city curves gently around. Do you fly over that on your Christmas Eve route?
Every single year, without fail. The thermaic gulf, the bay that his city curves gently around 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 Greece? My family was talking about it and I want to know if it is real.
It certainly is true. In greece, ships are decorated with lights for christmas just as often as trees, since so many families have connections to the sea. I think that is a wonderful thing for a family to talk about, because customs like that are exactly what make Greece feel like Greece, 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, Dimitris. Keep noticing the world around you, keep asking honest questions, and keep being kind to the people in Thessaloniki. That is the whole spirit of Christmas right there. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas, Santa.
Your friend,
Dimitris
Thessaloniki, Greece
P.S. Does Ágios Vasílis ever visit Thessaloniki too, or is that only your job?
We split the map fairly evenly, and Ágios Vasílis handles that part of the world beautifully. Consider it a very old and very friendly arrangement.
