by Nadia, age 8, writes to Santa from Beirut, Lebanon, and asks who Baba Noel really is.
Dear Santa,
My name is Nadia, and I am 8 years old. I live in Beirut, Lebanon, where the smell of manakish from the bakery downstairs wakes up the whole street every morning.
Dear Nadia, that is exactly the sort of detail I like to hear about Beirut. It tells me you are paying attention to the world around you, which is the first step toward being a thoughtful person. Keep noticing things like that.
Santa, I have three questions. First, who is Baba Noel? My mom says that is what some people call you where they live, but I do not really understand who that is.
Baba Noel is what folks in Lebanon affectionately call my old colleague, and in most every way, he and I are one and the same spirit of Christmas kindness, just wearing a name that fits the local language and the local customs. Every culture has shaped its own version of the story over the centuries, but underneath all the different names, it is always the same idea: someone who shows up in the cold and dark of winter to remind people that generosity matters. I am honored to answer to so many names.
Second, my teacher was telling us about the Mediterranean Sea, right along Lebanon’s coast, and the famous cedar trees in the mountains. Do you fly over that on your Christmas Eve route?
Every single year, without fail. The mediterranean sea, right along lebanon’s coast, and the famous cedar trees in the mountains is one of the sights the reindeer look forward to most, and I always tell the new reindeer on the team to watch closely as we pass over, because there are not many views in the whole wide world quite like it. Rudolph usually slows down just a little right there, and I have learned not to rush him.
Third, is it true that lebanon in Lebanon? My family was talking about it at dinner and I want to know if it is real.
It certainly is true. Lebanon is home to many different religious communities living side by side, and christmas is celebrated alongside other winter holidays. I think that is a wonderful thing for a family to talk about at the dinner table, because customs like that are what make Lebanon feel like Lebanon, and they are exactly the sort of thing that keeps a community close together, especially in the winter months.
Thank you for your letter and your good questions, Nadia. Keep noticing the world around you, keep asking honest questions, and keep being kind to the people in Beirut. That is the whole spirit of Christmas right there. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas, Santa.
Your friend,
Nadia
Beirut, Lebanon
P.S. Do you and Baba Noel ever compare notes on which one of you has the harder route?
Constantly. So far it remains a friendly and entirely unresolved argument.
