At the beginning of November, English teacher Ashley Snider assigned a festive project to her senior English classes, one that would bring a little Christmas magic to the lives of local children. She would have her students write letters to children from Santa Claus himself.
She started planning after a former colleague of hers brought the idea to her attention. She sought advice and resources from him about how to implement his tradition in Davie County for the first time. She started by creating a Google form to organize responses. She emailed this Google form to colleagues and friends.
“The first week I was dismayed because there were only enough to fill 1 class period – and I wanted much more,” said Snider.
Reminders were sent out, and currently, students at Davie High are sending a total of 115 letters to “nice-list” recipients, ranging in age from 9 months to 25 years old.
“I got so much joy reading the responses – hearing about these sweet children and feeling the love that their parents/relatives have for them,” gushed Snider.
Stamps, envelopes, confetti for the inside of the letter, pens, and even an official Santa North Pole wax stamp kit were purchased for this project. After looking at responses she was dismayed that so many students simply used the templates limiting personalization and many cards spoiled what Santa’s surprises for them were. The next day, she modeled a writing example and talked about how to write creatively by blending what they know about Santa, and of course, the individual on the nice list.
“We had to make it clear that the recipient was on the nice list and that Santa knows A LOT about them,” stated Snider.
Once the letters were approved, students faced the challenge of transferring them to unlined, white paper. The handwriting was something many students were insecure about due to a lack of skill.
“As a parent, I know that it’s not the printing that makes a difference to these kids,” said Snider, a mother of two. “It’s the magic in the words.” Students decorated and colored their letters. A major learning curve for her was the number of students who didn’t know how to address a letter.
The final step was filling the letter with confetti, stamping it with a wax seal and a mail stamp. This was their favorite part.
“Although it may cost extra to send these, it was so wonderful to see their joy in uniquely finalizing the project.,” said Snider. “I have to admit that my stress during the week was super high. I tend to be a perfectionist and everything has to be done right. I didn’t anticipate as many struggles in students’ ability to think and imagine.”
Snider’s favorite part was seeing students who are rarely engaged light up, as if they felt purposeful. For that reason Snider believes this tradition should carry on. She hopes in the future it can be a fundraiser to cover postage and supplies for the letter. As for now, she will be dropping them off at the post office where they will be postmarked from the North Pole, and waiting to see the magic these students created for so many individuals.
