Between school closures and missing family and friends during a global pandemic, kids have been through a lot this year. Now, the holiday season is upon us, and COVID-19 cases continue to spike across the country. As we struggle to stop the virus from spreading, many kids are expressing their frustrations, loneliness and sadness in a surprising place: their annual letters to Santa Claus.
On Twitter, users have started sharing kids’ heartfelt pleas to Santa for companionship, visits to their grandparents and for the magical Christmas figure to stop the pandemic entirely.
“My 6-year-old niece’s letter to Santa just broke my heart,” one Twitter user writes.
In the letter, the little girl writes that she misses her uncle because he lives in London, and she hasn’t been allowed to see him this year. “I am feeling sad,” she adds. “I miss him, and I will until he comes back.”
In another letter shared on Twitter, a girl asks for an iPad, a coloring book and “for the pandemic to end.”
One child whose letter was posted to the website says he doesn’t want anything at all for Christmas, except “to see my gramps and nonna again.”
The letters show how much kids are struggling to process the hardships they’ve felt this year and to not be able to see their loved ones. For many people, the letters also highlight the failure of adults to mitigate the effects of the pandemic and put the welfare of children first. Priyanka Mattoo, a journalist, writes on Twitter, “My friend’s kid wrote down this wish to Santa: ‘I just want some company.’ I tear up every time I think about it. How has this been so badly managed? It’s unconscionable.”
The pandemic has been stressful for most people, but it can be especially hard for children to understand why they can’t go to school or visit with their grandparents like they normally do. So far, there have been no formal studies on the mental health of U.S. children during the pandemic, but a study of 2,330 children in China found that about 22% of participants reported having symptoms of anxiety and depression during COVID-19 confinement. In spring 2020, a survey of 3,300 U.S. high school students showed more than a third of respondents reported struggling with depression “much more than usual,” and about a quarter of teens said they felt less connected to their classmates and adults at school.
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) acknowledges that parents in 2020 are “navigating a new, uncharted territory of challenges” when it comes to children’s mental health. They offer a number of tips for helping prioritize and improve kids’ mental health, including:
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Providing structure to the day, like a daily schedule and regular bedtimes.
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Spending quality time together.
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Encouraging hobbies.
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Helping kids connect with friends safely.
It’s heartbreaking to see kids struggling, and they likely aren’t the only ones in their families who are feeling more depressed, anxious and alone. Though COVID-19 has changed the way we celebrate special days, it’s still possible to engage in favorite holiday traditions and connect with family and friends either online, through letters and cards or while maintaining safe distance. This has been an exceptionally trying year, and prioritizing connection and joy in whatever way possible seems more important than ever.
