Waldinger Library kicks off its Letter to Santa campaign

The holiday season is in full swing and in the spirit of giving, the Waldinger Memorial Library and the Village of Valley Stream are spreading joy to village children while giving hope and comfort to their less fortunate peers around the country.

How you may ask?

The library will be hosting three separate sessions, starting on Nov. 24, inviting children to sit down and pen a letter to Old Saint Nick as part of Macy’s annual Make-A-Wish Letter to Santa event. For every letter written and submitted, Macy’s will make a $1 donation to the non-profit that grants the wishes of children suffering from critical illnesses.

“We basically have all the materials the kids need here,” said library director Mamie Eng. “We’ll have a small craft for the kids and a little something for them to take home. We just want to encourage them to start getting into the holiday season.” Eng also noted that letter writing can offer parents and their tikes a reprieve from the hectic holiday trips to the mall and avoid getting lost in gift-giving fever. While the kids generally provide their standard wish list of coveted toys and gadgets, noted Eng, through the years, they’ve written down wishes that would give anyone pause.

“Sometimes the kids wish for other loved ones,” said Eng. “I recall a kid once wrote they wished that their parent could get a job.

“We do take a quick look at the letters to make sure nothing inappropriate is written on them and remove any identifying information,” noted Eng “But that aside, some of the children have some really nice thoughts for other people.”

Whatever their list of wishes or holiday hopes, by writing the letters, the kids are helping make wishes come true for critically sick kids, noted Eng. While the library doesn’t keep a steady tally of the number of letters written every year, Eng noted that there was a slump in letter-writing caused by the pandemic but that the tradition is slowly making a rebound.

Previously the letter writing dovetailed with the village’s annual Winterfest event featuring a Christmas tree lighting and the arrival of Santa Claus, but Eng said the children were often too feverish awaiting the coming of Kris Kringle to remain seated and composed long enough for them to write. The library’s Children’s room on the other hand offers a naturally calming environment for them to write and color to their heart’s content.

While children are free to come to the library and submit their letters to Santa throughout the month, registration is required for the letter-writing sessions. For more information, call Library Director Mamie Eng at (516) 825 – 6422 or send an email to hwmlcontact@hotmail.com.