Dear Santa.. 1898 request from girl of 5

LIST Letter from Marjorie A TOUCHING 120-yearold letter to Santa from a girl of five has been found in a book given to Oxfam.

Marjorie Pennington asked for “little toy ducks and chickens” in a letter to “Father Christmas, North Pole” in December 1898.

In near-perfect, joinedup writing she also asked for “ribbon and a ball” for her pet cat Kittikins, signing off: “With love and kisses from us both.”

The letter was posted in Eastbourne, East Sussex, where the family moved after Marjorie’s dad died when she was days old.

It is on display in Whirligig Toys in Canterbury.

Worker Lily Birchall, 19, said: “The letter was absolutely what Christmas should be about – getting a few small gifts and being happy.”