Many of us keep letters to Santa Claus written decades ago. Saving such sweet mementos is a great way to remember Christmases past, especially when we were little and took such care to write our wish lists. Sometimes, though, these keepsakes get lost along the way. Finding them again is always great fun. But can you imagine how Dublin, Ireland, resident Victor Bartlem felt, after he found a 100-year-old letter from his own mom to Santa?!
This is truly a great Christmas story, folks. It seems that about 20 years ago, a Dublin resident was having some renovations done on his home. Workers found a letter to Santa Claus inside John Byrne's chimney and managed to salvage it (and yes, it was just a tad burned). For years, Byrne wondered about the letter from Hannah 'Annie' Howard. She was just ten years old when she penned her letter to Santa on Christmas Eve in 1911, asking for a doll, a toffee apple and a gold penny, among other things. This year, to celebrate the letter's 100th anniversary, he decided to take action: Byrne got in touch with The Irish Times and relayed the story.

This is where things become amazing. Victor Bartlem's wife saw the article about the 100-year-old Santa letter and read the story out loud to her husband, thinking it was interesting. At first, Bartlem didn't make the connection - but when he realized that the 'Hannah' who wrote the letter was his own mother, he was (understandably) gobsmacked! Bartlem told the times, "I simply couldn't believe it," adding that he "never knew" that the letter ever existed!
Anyone who's lost a family member knows that Christmas can be difficult. Many of us spend time remembering the loved one and missing them, terribly. Mr. Bartlem is likely no exception. Now, however, thanks to the efforts of John Byrne, he has a wonderful Christmas gift that he can cherish forever - his own mom's heartwarming letter to Santa Claus.