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Twain's 'Letter From Santa Claus,' A Gift For All Ages

A trade card from the 1880s depicts a Santa Claus figure in a bird-themed sleigh pulled by reindeer as they are about the land on a rooftop to deliver presents from the huge sack of gifts. Getty Images hide caption

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Opinion

Simon Says

Twain's 'Letter From Santa Claus,' A Gift For All Ages

In 1875, Mark Twain wrote a letter to his 3-year-old daughter from Santa Claus. NPR's Scott Simon reflects on a father's love for his daughter at Christmas time.

Twain's 'Letter From Santa Claus,' A Gift For All Ages

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NORAD's Santa Tracker Began With A Typo And A Good Sport

Col. Harry Shoup came to be known as the "Santa Colonel." He died in 2009. Courtesy of NORAD hide caption

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Courtesy of NORAD

Opinion

StoryCorps

NORAD's Santa Tracker Began With A Typo And A Good Sport

It all started in 1955 with a misprint in a Colorado newspaper and a call to Col. Harry Shoup's secret military hotline. Shoup played along with the tiny voice who called, and a tradition was born.

NORAD's Santa Tracker Began With A Typo And A Good Sport

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A Funny Philosopher Tackles A Tough Query: 'Does Santa Exist?'

Eric Kaplan has written for various shows, including The Big Bang Theory, Futurama and Flight of the Concords. Stephanie Diani/Dutton hide caption

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Stephanie Diani/Dutton

Author Interviews

A Funny Philosopher Tackles A Tough Query: 'Does Santa Exist?'

Eric Kaplan's son had a zoo trip canceled because one mom worried about reindeer-induced questions. So Kaplan, a comedy writer and philosophy grad student, started pondering the puzzle of St. Nick.

A Funny Philosopher Tackles A Tough Query: 'Does Santa Exist?'

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