Mother Of None But Santa To Three

The following two tabs change content below.

• Bio
• Latest Posts

Dana Gutkowski

I am the mother of none, but the very proud Aunt to four beautiful children. I did absolutely no work to create them, but I will do everything in my power to help raise them.

Latest posts by Dana Gutkowski (see all)

• How can I be a good aunt? - May 19, 2021
• Aunt Quotes - March 19, 2021
• End Your Silence. Support Black Lives Matter - June 29, 2020

When someone asks you to describe Santa Claus, you might conjure up an image of a white-haired, bushy-bearded old man sporting a big grin, red suit, and black boots.  

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think the same. However, I play Santa for my niece and nephews and I assure you, that’s not whose reflection appears in the mirror every day.  Yes, this brown-haired, hazel-eyed, average built, long distant Aunt disguises herself as Santa.  And no one is the wiser.  How?  Because I’m only him on paper.

At this point, you might be questioning why this Aunt would even consider taking on this role.  Yes, it’s a part that’s usually reserved for parents, but I don’t have children of my own. Before I even get into that, let me give another description of Santa.

Santa is a distant figurehead who serves as a moral compass to children and symbolizes love, compassion, and accountability.  Children look up to him, look forward to his arrival, and get excited at the mere mention of his name.  I can confidently say, that description also sums up how my niece and nephews view me.  I was Santa before I even started signing his name.

How It All Began

In 2012, my niece Layla was three years old and I had become pretty comfortable in my role as her long-distance Aunt.  She was living with her parents in Maryland I was in New York doing my best to stay active in her life as much as possible.

I visited her frequently, checked in with her on Skype, and scheduled “just us” time whenever we were together.  I was playing my best hand with the cards that I had been dealt.

However, in the back of my mind, I was wondering if there was more I could do more for her.  I was racking my Auntie brain, trying to come up with ways to enrich her life from far away.

After I was told that Layla loved going to the mailbox every day and opening up the mail, I decided that that was it! Letter writing is not a thing of the past. It’s just not used nearly as much as it should be!

Since Layla was only 3 at the time, there was nothing being sent just to her, so my sister would give her credit card offers and other generic mail just so she’d have something to open.  It reminded me of when I was a kid, collecting the mail each daily hopelessly searching for anything with my name on it.  I didn’t want Layla growing up and thinking that Visa and Discover Card were her only pen pals.  So, I started sending her cartoon drawings and writing her little notes.  She loved it. I loved it.  It was a win-win.

Since she loved getting my mail so much, my sister called to ask if I’d draw a picture of Santa and send Layla a letter.  I’d never played Santa for anyone before, but before I knew it, I was deep undercover, firing off weekly Santa letters.  Then I’d patiently wait for a phone call from Layla yelling “Santa came!”  I didn’t know how much I’d love being her Santa until I started. And once I started, I couldn’t stop.  

Before my undercover Santa role started, I felt limited to what I could do from far away.  But afterward, I found that the distance was working in my favor and it warmed my heart knowing that I was making my niece so happy.  I couldn’t drop the ball now, I’m Santa.

Teamwork

My sister and brother-in-law have maintained their roles as the Santa who eats all the cookies and leaves presents under the tree.  I haven’t taken anything away from their experience.  If anything, I’ve enhanced it by personifying him on paper.  

Over the years I have a written A LOT of letters as Santa.  But by far my favorites were on two particular Christmas mornings.  In 2012 Santa broke the big news to Layla that she would no longer be an only child because she had a baby brother on the way!  Then again in 2014, Santa wrote to Layla and Jayden, “I left your gifts under the tree.  But there’s much bigger news you see! Soon will come baby #3!

Now that I am Santa to three, I write to them as Santa to say hi, give them an update on North Pole life, and mention a few things that he’s seen happen around the house.  I love it so much that I created a whole line of cards from Santa, North Pole Notes. to allow others to do the same.  

Each card comes with a prewritten poem from Santa and coloring page. However, the templates are editable, so you can write your very own message and get really specific like I did! It’s so much fun!

Letters From Santa
by Dana Gutkowski

Another variation is the simple postcard from Santa. You can stock up and send notes from Santa and let the kids know what he’s been doing in the offseason.

Santa Claus Postcards
by Dana Gutkowski

Writing letters as Santa has become a bit of a passion you can say. Knowing that these little efforts go such a long way for kids has put a smile on a face and extra pep in my step. I know that there will come a day when my niece and nephews will no longer believe in Santa, but in the meantime, I’m actively creating memories for my family. And memories are something that will never be outgrown. Now I invite you to do the same for a child you love.

Have you played Santa for someone other than your own child?  Let me know in the comments section!  Can’t wait to hear from you!

[tqb_quiz id=’284′]