On this lovely Christmas eve day, I give you Robbie Cheadle and her letter to Santa.

Christmas Letter to Santa by Robbie Cheadle

Dear Santa

I know that you are busy at this time of year with thousands of letters from boys and girls all over the world, but I have a special request for three children’s books that include lovely stories about the gift of sharing at Christmas time. I thought if you had time, you could put them on my three little sisters Christmas wish lists. I know they will love them.

The first book is Little Women by Louise May Alcott. I think this one would be perfect for Catherine as she is always so sweet and good and kind, just like Beth in this story book. My favourite extract about Christmas from Little Women is when their mother comes home on Christmas morning and asks her four daughters to gift their breakfast to a nearby family of six children and a newborn baby, who are starving.

““My girls, will you give them your breakfast as a Christmas present?”

They were all unusually hungry, having waited nearly an hour, and for a minute no one spoke, on a minute, for Jo exclaimed impetuously, “I’m so glad you came before we began!”

“May I go and help carry the things to the poor little children?” asked Beth eagerly.

“I shall take the cream and the muffins,” added Amy, heroically giving up the article she most liked.

Meg was already covering the buckwheats, and piling the bread into one big plate.

“I thought you’d do it,” said Mrs March, smiling as if satisfied. “You shall all go and help me, and when we come back we will have bread and milk for breakfast, and make it up at dinnertime.”

Picture caption: Chocolate house with a Merry Christmas banner and two fondant hamsters in Christmas hats. Created by Robbie Cheadle

My second choice is What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge. I have read this book four times myself and some of my homemade present ideas come from this book. I think it will be perfect for Hayley, who is a lovely little girl and so patient. Katy is injured by falling out of a swing and becomes paralyzed from the waist down. She must learn to adjust to life from her bedroom and not enjoying the freedom of movement she had before. Through trial and error, Katy does learn to become patient and becomes the heart of her motherless home and the centre of her younger siblings’ lives. My favourite extract about Christmas from this book is as follows:

Picture caption: Gingerbread church with Sir Chocolate and three fondant mice. Created by Robbie Cheadle.

“But what was that strange thing beside the bed? Katy stared and rubbed her eyes. It certainly had not been there when she went to sleep. How had it come?

It was a little evergreen tree planted in a red flower-pot. The pot had stripes of gilt paper stuck on it, and gilt stars and crosses, which made it look very gay. The boughs of the tree were hung with oranges and nuts and shiny red apples and pop-corn balls and strings of bright berries. There were also a number of little packages tied with blue and crimson ribbon, and altogether the tree looked so pretty that Katy gave a cry of delighted surprise.

“It’s a Christmas-tree for you, because you’re sick, you know!” said the children, all trying to hug her at once.

“We made it ourselves,” said Dorry, hopping about on one foot. “I pasted the black stars on the pot.””

The final book is for my youngest sister, Laura. She is a little ragamuffin and tomboy. I thought she would enjoy reading about another high-spirited little girl who lived in America during the late 18^th century. She got to travel across America all the way to “Indian Territory” in a covered wagon and learned to live off the land. My favourite Christmas extract from Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder is as follows:

Picture caption: Santa on the Beach Christmas cake with Sir Chocolate. Created by Robbie Cheadle

“”I can figure no way whatsoever to get to their cabin this year, Edwards,” Santa Claus said. “Would you do me the favor to fetch them their gifts this one time?”

“I’ll do that, and with pleasure,” Mr Edwards told him.

Then Santa Claus and Mr Edwards stepped across the stree to the hitching-posts where the pack-mule was tied. (“Didn’t he have his reindeer?” Laura asked. “You know he couldn’t,” Mary said. “There isn’t any snow.” “Exactly,” said Mr Edwards. Santa Claus traveled with a pack-mule in the southwest.)

And Santa Claus uncinched the pack and looked through it, and he took out presents for Mary and Laura.

“Oh, what are they?” Laura cried; but Mary asked, “Then what did he do?”

Then he shook hands with Mr Edwards, and he swung up on his fine bay horse. Santa Claus rode well for a man of his weight and build. And he tucked his long, white whiskers under his bandana. “So long, Edwards,” he said, and he rode away on the Fort Dodge trail, leading his pack-mule and whistling.”

Thank you, Santa for reading my letter and I hope you have a safe trip around the world with no heat waves or snow waves.

Yours faithfully

Robbie

About Robbie Cheadle

South African author, photographer, and artist, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated seventeen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, written and illustrated four poetry books and written and illustrated one celebration of cake and fondant art book with recipes. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.

Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/