by A surfing boy in Sydney wants a straight answer from Santa, plus the largest reef and the world’s languages
A Letter to Santa from Sydney, Australia
Dear Santa,
G’day Santa! My name is Jack and I am 8 years old. I live in Sydney where it is hot and sunny at Christmas, and I love surfing with my big brother. I need a straight answer, so please tell me: is Santa Claus real, yes or no? My geography question is: what is the largest coral reef in the world? And my social studies question is: why do people in different countries speak different languages? Thanks heaps, Santa!
Love, Jack (age 8)
Santa’s Reply
Ho ho ho, g’day Jack! You asked for a straight answer, so here it is: yes. I am real. Now let me explain how, because it is the best part. I am not real in the way a surfboard or a sandwich is real, where you can pick it up and hold it. I am real in the way that kindness and generosity are real. You cannot hold those things either, but you feel them every single day. Whenever someone gives a gift just to make another person happy, that is me. So the answer to your question is a big, jolly yes.
Your geography question: the largest coral reef
The largest coral reef in the entire world is the Great Barrier Reef, and it sits right off the coast of your own Australia. It is so big that it can be seen from space, and it is home to thousands of kinds of fish, turtles, and colorful coral. You are very lucky to live so near such a wonder. Learn more at National Geographic Kids.
Your social studies question: why we have different languages
People speak different languages because long, long ago, groups of people lived far apart from one another, and each group slowly created its own words and sounds. Over hundreds of years those words grew into the languages we have today. Languages are like treasure chests, because each one holds the stories, songs, and ideas of the people who speak it. Explore more at Britannica Kids.
Catch a good wave for me, Jack. Yours warmly from the snowy North Pole, Santa Claus.
