Dear Telly,

Santa is coming soon and I want you to be ready, so I have sent some special supplies. Please look through them carefully, because Santa and his reindeer can be very particular.

1.    I have sent you a bag of reindeer food. Please sprinkle some in your yard and throw as much as you can on your roof. The reindeer get very hungry when they pull Santa’s sleigh and they will need this treat to refuel. I sprinkled in some fairy dust so the reindeer can fly to the next house.

2.    I wrote out Santa’s favorite cookie recipe. Please make lots of cookies with frosting. Put some cookies on a plate where Santa can find them when he drops off your presents. You can eat some cookies, too.

3.    I packed one of our special North Pole wishing stones. It is called “snowflake obsidian.” This is a magical stone that turns the spiritual into the physical. To use it, hold the wishing stone in both hands. Make a wish for you and a wish for someone else.

4.    I packed a small bag of peppermint seeds. We grow the most magnificent candy cane trees at the North Pole. The weather isn’t quite right for peppermint trees in Indiana, but you should be able to grow some small peppermint plants in your windowsill by Christmas. Ask your mommy to help you!

5.    I have included a bell from Prancer’s harness. On Christmas morning, when you wake up, ring the bell when you come out of your bedroom. That way, if Santa and the elves are still downstairs, he will know to hide. It is extremely important that you not see Santa when he delivers presents.

6.    I have given you a bag of chocolate money in your native currency. I find that the elves are much more generous when stuffing stockings if you leave a tip for them next to Santa’s cookies. Elves deal mainly in chocolate. I’m not sure what the exchange rate is at the moment, but I suggest leaving at least 2 coins for the elves.

7.    I packed everything up in one of the elf’s hats. I knit every elf a new hat for Christmas each year. During the year, the elves wear the hats and the hats become more and more magical (It seems that elves lose most of their magic through their heads). When the hat is absolutely soaked in magic at the end of December, the elf needs a new hat. This is Norbert elf’s hat. He is a particular fan of pom poms. If you hang this hat on your doorknob next year, I will make sure to send you more supplies for Christmas.

Merry Christmas and Peppermint Kisses,

Mrs. Claus

P.S.

I put an elf hat on Dea’s door, too. It is Nelly elf’s hat. Dea will probably need your help getting ready for Christmas. Please help her ring her Christmas bell on Christmas morning. Her bell is from Donner’s harness.