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100 year old letter to Santa Claus found in Dublin home

Placed in chimney a century ago it comes to light

By
CATHAL DERVAN,
IrishCentral Staff Writer
Published Wednesday, December 21, 2011, 7:23 AM
Updated Wednesday, December 21, 2011, 9:50 AM

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The letter was written by the Howard family siblings to Father Christmas in 1911, and found in a Terenure house.
The letter was written by the Howard family siblings to Father Christmas in 1911, and found in a Terenure house.
Photo by Eric Luke c/o The Irish Times


A 100-year-old Santa letter written by a Dublin brother and sister has come to light – and offers a fascinating glimpse into the Christmas spirit of old.

The Irish Times newspaper has published the letter, written by the Howard family siblings to Father Christmas in 1911, and found in a Terenure house.

Builder John Byrne came across the handwritten note on a shelf behind a fireplace and the paper reports that it has been slightly scorched over the years.

The brother and sister penned the letter in their Dublin home on Christmas Eve 1911 when they requested gifts and offered a ‘good luck’ message to Santa Claus.

The message to Santa was warm but explicit. “I want a baby doll and a waterproof with a hood and a pair of gloves and a toffee apple and a gold penny and a silver sixpence and a long toffee.”

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The letter was placed in the chimney of the fireplace in the front bedroom so that Father Christmas would see it as he made his way into the house in the early hours of the morning.

“At that time, the fireplaces were made of brick with a shelf on either side,” said John Byrne. “The letter was found on one of the shelves.”

The paper reports that, as well as the requests for gifts from Santa, the letter also contains drawings and the ‘good luck’ message.

The 1911 census states there were three children living at the address. Hannah, who was 10 at the time, and Fred, who was seven, fit in with the initials on the letter. A third child, a 13-year-old called Lily, is also listed.

The Howard family, including dad Fred and mum Mary, were all born in England and listed their religion as Church of Ireland.
 

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6 Comments

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americano | Dec 25, 2011, 07:51 PM EST
Is nice to hear such a part of history, it would be interesting to hear more of Hannah, Fred, and Lily, in their later life, and their eventual age of passing away.
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kaydog1 | Dec 22, 2011, 12:46 AM EST
So, does this mean that they haven't cleaned their chimney since 1911? Fire hazard.
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blackbearpause | Dec 21, 2011, 10:57 AM EST
Makes me want to leave another letter some where again. I always do it where ever I live, but is best to put them in glass somewhere into rafters or walls or cielings if possible.
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SeamusMor | Dec 21, 2011, 10:55 AM EST
Yes, Hannah, Fred, and Lily, there is a Santa Claus!
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CitizenWhy | Dec 21, 2011, 09:44 AM EST
Lovely story. Not it's time to pick up on that other lovely story in the Telegraph about how St. Nicolas/Santa Claus/Father Christmas is buried in Ireland. Can't you see a Santa Wonderland (of electric lights)/Christmas Shop next door selling Irish made products, including electric candles for the window? Tourism!
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IrelandNorth | Dec 21, 2011, 09:32 AM EST
Yes! Read this story only this morning. It's like a message in a bottle or time capsule from the past. The current owner of the house is there 50 yrs., with previous owners between him and the Howard family. It's fascinating to hear of these voices from the past. They fascinate me.
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