by Hina, age 8 from Sapporo, Japan, asks Santa about his signature, being the capital of Hokkaido, and the Sapporo Snow Festival.
Dear Santa, my name is Hina, and I am eight years old. I live in Sapporo, Japan, where my obaachan says our city gets so much snow every winter that people build enormous snow sculptures out of it.
Dear Hina, a city that snowy makes for one of my very favorite kinds of landings, your obaachan picked a truly wintery, wonderful hometown.
Santa, I have three questions.
What is Santa’s signature? My little brother wants an autograph to hang on his wall.
My signature has a rather looping, old-fashioned style, Hina, built from many, many years of signing letters. Tell your little brother I would be glad to leave one behind, right next to the cookie crumbs.
My obaachan says Sapporo is the capital of Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan. Is that true?
It is true, Hina, Sapporo serves as the capital of Hokkaido, Japan’s snowy northern island. I always enjoy that crisp, wintery landscape on my way to your rooftop.
My obaachan says Sapporo hosts a huge festival every winter with giant sculptures made entirely of snow. Is that true?
It is true, Hina, the Sapporo Snow Festival draws visitors from all over the world to admire enormous, carefully crafted snow sculptures. That kind of shared creativity, turning something cold into something beautiful, is really a wonderful thing to witness.
Merry Christmas, Santa.
Your friend,
Hina Sato
Sapporo, Japan
P.S. Will you sign a snow sculpture too, just this once?
Only very carefully, Hina, my gloves are not exactly built for delicate signatures.
