100 - Year Old Dear Santa Letter

Dublin, Ireland homeowner, John Byrne, was doing a bit of remodeling in 1992, updating his heating source, when he discovered a letter tucked away into the chimney of the front bedroom's fireplace.

The letter was penned in 1911 by two of the Howard children who once lived in the home. There were three, but the eldest was 13 at the time, so it is presumed that Alfred ["Fred"] 7, and Hannah, 10, wrote the request, which included a "Good Luck" message for the jolly elf.

The requests were warm and considerate and in part read, "I want a baby doll and a waterproof with a hood and a pair of gloves and a toffee apple and a gold penny and a silver sixpence and a long toffee."

Byrne said that in the old days there was a sort of shelf on the inside of fireplaces and the letter was found tucked into one of these when discovered. It is only slightly scorched.

Although Byrne discovered the letter in 1992, he has kept it as a souvenir from a previous owner of his home, and of a much simpler and purer time.