by Vivian, age 9 from San Francisco, California, asks Santa about the original Santa Clause movie, the foggy Golden Gate Bridge, and the city’s historic cable cars.
Dear Santa, my name is Vivian, and I am nine years old. I live in San Francisco, California, where my dad says our famous bridge disappears into fog so often that visitors sometimes miss it entirely.
Dear Vivian, that fog has tested my navigation more than once, your dad picked a truly mysterious hometown.
Santa, I have three questions.
What is The Santa Clause movie about? My mom says it started this whole big series of movies but I have never actually seen the first one.
That first film follows a man who accidentally causes the actual Santa to slip off a roof, and finds a mysterious card leading him to unexpectedly become Santa himself, slowly transforming, beard and belly included, as Christmas Eve approaches. Your mom is right, that story really did kick off the whole series.
My dad says the Golden Gate Bridge often disappears completely into thick fog. Is that true?
It is true, Vivian, San Francisco’s famous fog frequently rolls in and swallows the bridge almost entirely from view. I always fly a little slower and a little more carefully on foggy nights like that.
My dad says San Francisco still has old cable cars that are considered an important piece of history. Is that true?
It is true, Vivian, San Francisco’s cable cars are recognized as a National Historic Landmark, a moving piece of history still climbing those steep hills today. That kind of careful preservation of something old and beloved is really worth admiring.
Merry Christmas, Santa.
Your friend,
Vivian Chen
San Francisco, California
P.S. Do you ever get lost in the fog yourself?
Only briefly, Vivian, Rudolph’s nose handles the rest.
