Dear Santa, Love Oregon: A Beaver State Christmas Celebration?With Real Letters!

On the night before Christmas,
Santa mounted his sleigh.
The presents were packed;
Time to be underway!
The night air was chilly,
the hour was late―

When a letter came in from a faraway state.

Santa is all ready to leave on Christmas Eve, but last-minute letters are arriving from Oregon! From a little girl who is wishing for more sunshine to a beaver, meadowlark, and Chinook salmon all looking for a bit more attention, to the bears asking the reindeer for a play date, each letter contains a humorous request that gets even Santa chuckling. Even better, each letter comes tucked in its own pocket envelope with other delightful extras like cards, money for toll roads, and even a map of Oregon! How will Santa respond? It's Oregon Christmas magic you'll have to see!

Dear Santa,

We worried that none of the carols mention a GPS for your sleigh, so we’ve enclosed a map to our house. Please turn right at Astoria, fly over the Multnomah Falls, take a right at Sea Lion Caves, and steer towards the Painted Hills. If the police pull you over, we’ve included your fines. That happens to Daddy a lot.

Your loving and helpful friends,

Adam, Stephanie, Christin, and Heather Appleyard

P.S. Our house has a door and some windows. You can’t miss it.

Pham Quang Phuc is the winner of the 2018 ASEAN Illustration Award, Best in Fiction, and his book Dreams Are Calling was a Scholastic Picture Book Award Finalist. He currently works as an art editor for Kim Dong Publishing House—the oldest publishing house for children in Vietnam.