Dear Santa Letter Answered 75 Years Later

After 75 years of waiting, what's another few hours?

Gene Finger had a surprise waiting for him Wednesday at the Northfield Senior Center—too bad he didn't stick around long enough to receive it.

Finger joined a small group who showed up to a book signing and to chat with Jeff Sauve, St. Olaf College Associate Archivist and longtime member of the Northfield Historical Society, who compiled “Dear Santa, Mama Wants Hat Pins, Papa, One Mule: A Compilation of Letters from the Northfield News, 1902-1945,” the latest offering from the NHS.

Unfortunatey, Finger left a minute before Sauve built up to the big reveal.

"He has a doctor's appointment," said Kris Ellison, Finger's longtime partner.

Finger, now 82, wrote one of the letters used in the book.

Written in 1937, Finger asked Santa for a few items not only for himself, but also his younger sister.

Dear Santa:

I am a little boy seven years old. I am in the second grade. For Christmas I would like a football, a pair of corduroy trousers and a jigsaw puzzle. My little sister Emily who is two years old would like a doll buggy and a little broom. We both would like some candy and nuts.

Your friend
Eugene Finger 

When Ellison reached out to Sauve to let him know of the connection, Sauve came up with the plan to surprise Finger.

On Wednesday, Sauve talked 30 minutes about the book, its origins and the on-again-off-again tradition of the newspaper printing the Dear Santa letters. He also had attendees read aloud several of the letters.

The last letter to be read by Sauve was Finger's from so many years ago.

Ellison promised to pass along the present: A neatly wrapped jigsaw puzzle from Santa.

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