Sapa corner

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Christmas is just around the corner. Perhaps many children in the world are waiting for Santa Claus to bring them a lot of gifts.

Like many kids, when I was six, I looked forward to Santa Claus. In my mind, this old man appeared as a kind and cheerful person. His beard was long, thick, and as white as snow. He was affable and looked quite plump in his red costume. Santa Claus especially loved all children and always had presents for them at Christmas.

As a little child, I wondered if Santa Claus could travel to Sapa. I asked my mom about him and knew that he would come to Sapa Church on Christmas Eve, late in the evening. I was happy to hear this news. Yet, it was impossible for me to meet Santa at the church that night, because I needed to go to bed early.

Even so, on Christmas Day, I still received a small gift from Santa Claus. It was a package of cookies. My mom let me know he stopped by my house and sent that present to me while I was studying at school. Though I couldn’t see Santa, I was still delighted and ate his crispy and sweet cookies with joy.

Honestly, I truly believed Santa Claus had visited me. But then, not long after that Christmas, I found packs of cookies, the same as the one Santa gave me, in my mom’s grocery store.

At that point, I realized that I also had another Santa Claus who was always by my side, listened silently to my wishes, and loved me so much. That was my mom.

Sharing with you.

Merry Christmas to you and yours.

With love,

An An