by Unai, age 8, writes to Santa from San Sebastian, Spain, and asks how many reindeer does santa have?
Dear Santa,
My name is Unai, and I am 8 years old. I live in San Sebastian, Spain, where his aita says the beach in the middle of the city gets strangely empty once December arrives.
Dear Unai, that is exactly the sort of detail I like to hear about San Sebastian. 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 many reindeer does Santa have? My mom and I were arguing about it at breakfast.
Nine on the official roster, with Rudolph up front on foggy nights, though I keep a few backup reindeer in training just in case anyone catches a winter cold.
Second, my teacher was telling us about the Bay of Biscay, the curve of the Atlantic Ocean that wraps around his city’s famous beach. Do you fly over that on your Christmas Eve route?
Every single year, without fail. The bay of biscay, the curve of the atlantic ocean that wraps around his city’s famous beach 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 Basque Country? My family was talking about it and I want to know if it is real.
It certainly is true. In the basque country, olentzero parades through town squares on december 24th to the delight of children waiting along the streets. I think that is a wonderful thing for a family to talk about, because customs like that are exactly what make Spain feel like Spain, 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, Unai. Keep noticing the world around you, keep asking honest questions, and keep being kind to the people in San Sebastian. That is the whole spirit of Christmas right there. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas, Santa.
Your friend,
Unai
San Sebastian, Spain
P.S. Does Olentzero ever visit San Sebastian too, or is that only your job?
We split the map fairly evenly, and Olentzero handles that part of the world beautifully. Consider it a very old and very friendly arrangement.
