The History of Santa’s List Day

The legend of Santa Claus has many elements, one of the oldest being a letter or a wish list sent to Santa to share what one wants for Christmas.

The idea has ancient roots in the origin story of Saint Nicholas, the benevolent 4th century Bishop known for kind acts and generosity. As Saint Nicholas would hear of a need he would work anonymously to fulfill it. As time passed the power of word of mouth transformed into notes and letters to St. Nicholas.

Like other parts of the Santa story the passing of notes grew over time and place. By the time “St. Nicholas” came to America in the early 19th century his legend as a night-time gift bringer was fully established.

In an 1824 newspaper account from the New York American a story is told of an adult man who had a noisy encounter with Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Not knowing who this strange man was making all the noise in the dead of night, he asked his host:

“Well, said I, who is this Santa Claus?”

The host replied, “Oh? You don’t know who Santa Claus is? He is an old fellow who brings us good things every Christmas!”

This idea perplexed the man. “Old? He is the noisiest old coger I know of. But what is he like?”

The answer did little to resolve the question. “Oh, I don’t know, we never see him; all we do is we hang a stocking on the bed post on Christmas Eve, and the next morning all good boys and girls find it stuffed with sugar plumbs, candy and toys, and all the bad ones find rod…”

This was quite the common Christmas tale in early 19th century America. As it passed from person to person, and then as curiosity built thanks to the poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, it was only natural for children and believers to want to get to know Santa Claus.

What better way to do that than to write a note that might express a wish or defend one from questionable behavior?

In fact, as time passed, engaging with Santa Claus on any level became something of a Christmas tradition. New York had a Christmas tradition of “mumming”, a practice of going door-to-door to share holiday greetings, songs and goodies such as wines, wassail, candies and cookies.

From 1826, in the Providence Patriot dated January 11th, the news story is shared of a man named who went door-to-door with a friend, carrying a sack with Santa’s picture on it, collecting cookies at every stop. After an evening of making merry and collecting cookies, they had a very full sack, which they then took a local orphanage, “courtesy of Santa Claus”.

Children between the years of 1820 and 1840 would fondly recall Christmas decades later by writing their memories to be published in local newspapers during the week of Christmas. One man, in sharing his memory with an Albany, New York newspaper in 1868, said he wrote a letter to St. Nicholas of his intention to use his father’s stocking on the fireplace mantle instead of his own and he “didn’t want Santa to think he had extra big feet”.

The era of the Civil War in America did a lot to advance the long distance Christmas. Train travel became popular, allowing people to quickly cover large distances to reunite with family.

Postal services expanded home delivery, making the sending of messages faster and cheaper. And the media exposure of Santa Claus and his legend spread every Christmas as his exploits were shared far and wide. Christmas, officially declared a national holiday in 1870, became something of a commercial fad with Santa Claus at the dead center of it.

The industrial revolution brought ever more new goods to market along with a well spring of marketing, fueled by the engine of Christmas gift giving. Santa Claus was simply more fuel for the fire. Santa’s image was used by stores, who increasingly had a Santa on site, to “visit with the kiddies”.

As more and more families with children learned of Santa the more it seemed they wanted to communicate with him. “Letters to Santa” were published in local newspapers to such a degree that it became something of a fad to send a letter to Santa by mail to a newspaper.

Soon the US Postal Service began accepting letter to Santa because they came – with stamps attached – and the post office had nowhere to deliver them. Before long well-meaning groups and associations popped up to deal with Santa’s mail. Volunteers would meet together during the holiday season to send responses to letter writers on Santa’s behalf.

In the city of Santa Claus, Indiana, the city’s postmaster, James Martin, started answering the city’s large pile of Santa letters himself, then tapped local volunteers as the city’s name brought in ever-more mail for the man in the red suit. Those efforts have continued to this day.

The US Postal Service established Operation Santa Claus, an coordinated nationwide effort some felt were necessary when fraud was exposed by some independent groups who pocketed donated funds sent in letters to Santa.

The program evolved after being spotlighted in the climactic courtroom scene in Miracle on 34th Street in 1947, then enjoyed a significant boost when Johnny Carson made a practice of reading several letters each December on “The Tonight Show,” urging viewers to take part in the program.

Pop culture has done it’s part to keep the sending of wish lists to Santa alive. In 1934, the song Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town extended the idea of lists by suggesting that “Santa is making a list, and checking it twice” – to find out which children are naughty or nice.

While North Pole experts contend that Santa does not really have a naughty list, the idea that a letter to Santa could create some clemency for a wayward believer has always been popular.

Why is December 4th considered Santa’s List Day?

With just 20 days between December 4th and Christmas Eve it’s just enough time to craft a note and send it to Santa.

While Santa will accept a wish list to the last possible second it’s just good form to do it on Santa’s List Day, December 4th. Click here to send your wish list to Santa.