Dear Verona: A South Philly Christmas Letter Between Generations

A week ago, our granddaughter Verona gave us something we’ll never throw away: a handwritten letter.

It wasn’t a holiday card. It wasn’t a thank-you note. It was a school assignment — and it turned into a keepsake.

As part of a class project, Verona was asked to write a letter to her grandparents asking what Christmas was like when they were kids, the way she is now. She sat down and carefully wrote her letter by hand and gave it to us so we could respond.

And in that moment, we realized something: the best part of Christmas isn’t the gifts. It’s the stories that get passed down.

---

Verona’s Letter

When you look at her handwriting — the careful spacing, the little kid confidence in every line — you can feel how excited she was to share this with her class. She wasn’t just asking for facts. She was asking for our memories.

So we did what grandparents do.

We answered her the best way we could.

---

Our Answer (the one she read to her class)

We typed our response for a simple reason: Verona had to read it out loud in school, and we wanted it to be easy for her to follow.

Here’s what we told her:

Dear Verona:
When Gigi and Poppy were your age, we lived on the same South Philly block.
Every Sunday our families went to Mass at St. Monica’s Church.
We loved looking at the Sears catalog and circling the toys we wanted.
At Christmastime, we waited and hoped that Santa would bring our favorite toys.
Poppy wished for a toy called Mr. Machine. Gigi wanted a toy called Knit-A-Row-A-Minute.
Gigi’s family had a shiny tinsel tree that changed colors, and Poppy had a real tree.
On Christmas Eve, Gigi’s family ate the Feast of the Seven Fishes.
On Christmas Day, Poppy had a big turkey dinner.

---

Why This Little Project Meant So Much

It’s funny how a school assignment can stop you in your tracks.

Because once you start talking about Christmas “back then,” you aren’t really talking about toys or dinners.

You’re talking about:

• what it felt like to live on a South Philly block where everyone knew everyone
• going to Mass on Sundays as a family routine
• the anticipation of circling something in a catalog and hoping it might show up
• the way different families kept different traditions — and how those traditions shaped the home

And then you look at your granddaughter, and you realize she’s living her own version of the same story — in the same city, in the same neighborhood spirit, in her own time.

---

A South Philly Tradition Worth Keeping

One day, Verona will be older. She’ll have her own Christmas routines. She’ll have her own set of “remember when” stories.

And if we’re lucky, she’ll still remember that once, in first grade, she wrote a letter to her grandparents and asked what Christmas was like when they were kids.

That’s how traditions survive — not just through food or churches or decorations, but through family stories told across generations.

---

A Gentle Word About Safety

The holidays bring out the best parts of the city — and they also bring crowds, traffic, rushing, and winter weather.

In South Philly especially, we all know how quickly busy sidewalks and narrow streets can turn hectic this time of year.

So as we’re out shopping, visiting family, and carrying bags (or bakery boxes), it’s worth taking an extra second:

• watch for slick steps and uneven sidewalks
• slow down in parking lots and tight corners
• keep an extra eye on kids and older relatives

---

Closing

Verona’s letter reminded us that the “best” Christmas moments aren’t always the big ones.

Sometimes it’s a pencil, a piece of paper, and a child asking:
“Tell me what it was like when you were little.”

And sometimes that’s all you need to feel the season again.