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100 Year Old Letter to Santa Inspires Traditional Smoky Mountain Christmas

View of Smoky Mountains at sunsetNearly 100 years after 7-year-old Homer Mellen wrote a letter to Santa, the letter has resurfaced and touched the hearts of everyone throughout the Smoky Mountains. The letter, written in 1915, was found in a keepsake box with pictures and other small items from family members who had passed. We hope sharing this letter to Santa will remind families of traditional Smoky Mountain Christmas celebrations, where families enjoyed spending time together, making holiday memories. The letter reads:

“Dear Santa Claus,

Will you please send me a box of paints, also a nine cent reader, and a school bag to put them in. And if you have any nuts, or candy, or toys to spare, would you kindly send me some. And you will please a seven year old boy. Homer Mellen.”

The days of simple Christmas lists are gone, but Homer’s letter to Santa shows families a humble and modest list of holiday dreams. What are your Christmas dreams for 2013? Tell us what you’re wishing for this Christmas, in the comments section below this post.

Fox News got in touch with Homer Mellen’s son, Larry, and spoke with him about the letter. In the interview, he explains that there is much more to the holiday season than ‘stuff.’

This holiday season, when you’re enjoying a Smoky Mountain Christmas, remember that there is much more to the holiday season than extravagant gifts and toys. Below, we have listed some inexpensive ways to spread the holiday cheer with friends and family:

  • Send family members a keepsake photograph of the kids playing in the Great Smoky Mountains.
  • Let the kids create craft projects from leaves, acorns and other outdoor items from the Smoky Mountains, then gift those items to others.
  • Purchase a book from one of the Smoky Mountain visitor centers and write a thoughtful letter, inside the book cover, to the recipient.

These Smoky Mountain Christmas items are sure to leave a lasting memory on your family member’s faces. And you never know, maybe your thoughtful Christmas gifts will warm the hearts people for hundreds of years.

For more inspiring stories that are making their way through the Smoky Mountains, take a look at Visit My Smokies’ Facebook page.