A 6-year-old’s acerbic letter to Santa is going viral after his mother posted the missive on Twitter.
NPR reporter Sarah McCammon on Sunday shared her son's letter, which was a class assignment, with her more than 38,000 followers.
"My 6yo Santa skeptic was told to write a letter to Santa at school," McCammon wrote. "So he did…."
By Monday morning, McCammon’s tweet had been liked about 13,000 times and retweeted close to 5,000 times.
The letter read:
“Dear Santa,
“Santa Im only doing this for the class. I know your notty list is emty. And your good list is emty. and your life is emty. You dont know the trouble Ive had in my life. Good bye.
“Love,
“Im not tell you my name.”
McCammon, who took note of her son’s artwork on the letter -- Christmas wreaths along one margin and skulls along the other -- was careful to double back and clarify one thing.
“PS, the ‘troubles’ in his life? His brother,” she wrote. “Don’t call child services.”
Her followers found the boy’s letter hilarious. Some parents took the opportunity to share their own children’s atypical letters to St. Nick.
Others speculated on his future career, with guesses ranging from his becoming a journalist, like his mother, to a country songwriter.
Still, other commenters just sat back and took a moment to appreciate the level of disquiet in a person so young.
“That much existential angst in a 6-year-old is amazing,” one follower wrote. “As a parent of older kids, I feel free to warn you, the teen years may be a challenge.”
Some who responded seemed to feel a kinship with the boy.
“This child is my spirit animal,” one woman wrote.
About the Author
