by Isidora, age 9, writes to Santa from Santiago, Chile, and asks who Viejito Pascuero really is.
Dear Santa,
My name is Isidora, and I am 9 years old. I live in Santiago, Chile, where her tia complains every year that Christmas dinner is far too hot to enjoy in the middle of summer.
Dear Isidora, that is exactly the sort of detail I like to hear about Santiago. 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 Viejito Pascuero? My dad says that is what some people call you where they live, but I do not really understand who that is.
Viejito Pascuero is what folks in Chile 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 grandpa was telling us about the Andes Mountains, which she can see snow-capped from her own bedroom window even in December. Do you fly over that on your Christmas Eve route?
Every single year, without fail. The andes mountains, which she can see snow-capped from her own bedroom window even in december 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 in in Chile? My family was talking about it at dinner and I want to know if it is real.
It certainly is true. In chile, christmas eve dinner is often served very late at night so the whole family can stay up to open gifts right at midnight. I think that is a wonderful thing for a family to talk about at the dinner table, because customs like that are what make Chile feel like Chile, 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, Isidora. Keep noticing the world around you, keep asking honest questions, and keep being kind to the people in Santiago. That is the whole spirit of Christmas right there. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas, Santa.
Your friend,
Isidora
Santiago, Chile
P.S. Do you and Viejito Pascuero ever compare notes on which one of you has the harder route?
Constantly. So far it remains a friendly and entirely unresolved argument.
