by A bird-feeding boy in Tromso asks if Santa has a number, what a fjord is, and the meaning of voting
A Letter to Santa from Tromso, Norway
Dear Santa,
Hei Santa! My name is Magnus and I am 8 years old. I live in Tromso, up in the cold and beautiful north of Norway, and I love skiing and feeding the birds. My question is a funny one: what is Santa Claus’s number? Do you have a special number? My geography question is: what is a fjord? And my social studies question is: what is voting, and why do grown-ups vote? Tusen takk, Santa!
Love, Magnus (age 8)
Santa’s Reply
Ho ho ho, hei Magnus! A boy who feeds the birds in the cold Norwegian winter has a very kind heart indeed. You asked about my number, and I have to chuckle, because I do not have one. The North Pole has no street numbers, no house numbers, and no telephone numbers, because there is only one workshop here and everyone already knows where to find it. I am not really the sort of fellow you can sum up with a number anyway. I am more of a warm feeling than a digit. But your letters always reach me, and that is all the address I need.
Your geography question: what is a fjord
A fjord is a long, narrow arm of the sea that reaches deep between tall, steep cliffs. Fjords were carved out by enormous sheets of ice called glaciers, long, long ago. Your own Norway is famous all over the world for its breathtaking fjords, and you are lucky to live among them. Read more at National Geographic Kids.
Your social studies question: what is voting
Voting is the way that grown-ups make a fair choice together. When a country needs to pick its leaders or decide something important, each adult gets to say what they want by casting a vote, and the choice with the most votes wins. Voting is a way of being fair, so that everyone has an equal voice, not just the loudest person. Explore more at Britannica Kids.
Keep skiing and keep feeding those birds, Magnus. Yours from the snowy North Pole, Santa Claus.
