Back when I was a kid, I’d write a letter to Santa nearly every year.
I didn’t bother with sending it like most kids did. I’d just leave the note by his milk and cookies, figuring he probably had some spare loot under the sleigh seats. And I still remember the year Santa answered back, complete with sooty fingerprints, explaining that he had run out of the Micronauts Battle Cruiser I’d asked for, but he hoped I’d enjoy the books he left for me just as much.
Mr. Claus doesn’t receive or write quite as many letters as he used to, according to the Associated Press. But it turns out he’s a world-class texter.
Since most of Santa’s most ardent fans probably have never mailed a letter in their lives, Kris Kringle (or his worldwide emissaries) has gone all techy. While post offices around the U.S. report that letters addressed to the North Pole have dropped dramatically, children are starting to send him e-mail, texts, tweets and Facebook missives. And he’s responding, too. It’s reported that textsanta.net will send nearly 100,000 texts to kids this year (at $3.99 a pop).
As the AP story says, “Santa Claus is truly everywhere.” But despite that—and flying in the face of Santa’s notorious favoritism for good girls and boys—some pint-size correspondents don’t seem to be all that concerned with getting a lump of coal in their stocking.
“Some people have texted Santa that aren’t so happy with Santa,” said Drew Olanoff, one of St. Nick’s many ghost texters. “They’ve been a little rude. I’ve let them know that would be considered bad behavior. You really shouldn’t talk to Santa like that.”
Some things never change. And apparently, one of those things is that people can get a little snippy online with even outrageously generous toy distributors.
Santa’s increasing tech savvy brings into focus one pretty self-evident fact: Christmas is very much a trend-centric sort of holiday, full of massive light displays and hip presents and texting Santas. For my part, I’m hoping someone leaves a copy of Gran Turismo 5 underneath the tree for me this year.
But I also hope that I don’t tune out everyone around me to play the thing.
I think most of us realize that Christmas isn’t really about self-absorbed texts and high-tech games. Not spiritually, not emotionally, not even physically. Our Plugged In poll this week asks you what you most look forward to for the holiday season. And taking a peak at the early results, it’s interesting to me that, even though Christmas specials will be saturating the television airwaves and lots of folks have made a tradition of heading off to a movie on Christmas day, those two things are currently trailing the other contenders: visiting, eating, going to church.
So, during this hyperactive holiday season, here’s wishing for a few low-tech moments: time with friends or family sitting around talking and laughing. Time to watch the fire flicker or the candles glow. Time to smell the gingersnaps. And, of course, time to consider again why we have this season to begin with. ‘Cause whatever you may have given this year, and whatever you might receive, doesn’t hold a candle to the gift of Christmas itself.
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