Gran Canaria’s Magical Christmas
SANDRA FRANCO ÁLVAREZ
Somewhere out there in the world…
Dear Santa, my name is Sara, I’m 8 years old and I live in Gran Canaria. This year, I’m not going to ask you for toys or sweets. I just wish that everyone all around the world could enjoy Christmas!
I want you to know that you are my favourite superhero and I’ve always wanted to see you, but this year more than ever.
What I’d like most is to take a sleigh ride around Gran Canaria with you and show you all the treasures on my island from the sky. The ride would be amazing because the trade winds, the sea breeze and the shooting stars would guide us the whole way. Oh Santa Claus! I’d love it so much! But maybe I’m just asking for the impossible…
With love, Sara
PS Please don’t try and get down our chimney. You’ll land right on our oven and you might get burnt.
After reading Sara’s letter, Father Christmas sat and thought for a while. His magic sack of presents was ready for the off, so was his flying sleigh, led by Rudolph the Reindeer, who had the important job of lighting the way with his shiny red nose.
Finally, after all his hard yet heart-warming work, Santa Claus’s sleigh reached Gran Canaria, urged along by the trade winds. Santa was dying to take off his hat and boots and said to himself, “Thank goodness, I was freezing!”
Sara woke up to the sound of a “silent giant” approaching and tiptoed to take a peek. She wondered if what she saw before her eyes was real or just her imagination. But no, this time Father Christmas had made an exception.
Santa invited the girl to jump up on his sleigh as it shot by, leaving a wake of excitement behind it so big that even the shooting stars wobbled in the sky.
All of a sudden, Sara pointed out what looked like a desert right by the sea. She told Father Christmas that travellers from all over Europe made their way to the Maspalomas Dunes to plunge their hands and feet into the warm sand. She also revealed one of the many secrets of this beautiful shoreline: when the sun sets, you can read hundreds of messages that all say the same thing, “I want to come back to Gran Canaria.”
Flying towards the heart of the island, the girl and Santa greeted two stone giants, El Nublo and El Bentayga. They are not only guardians but also sons of the volcano.
Suddenly, dear Mr Claus’s nostrils began to flutter as he caught wafts of chestnuts, pine forest, broom… and his belly rumbled as he smelled the sweets… made with yummy almonds!
However, it was the giant fish tank with no glass that really took Father Christmas’s breath away. Sara told him that every Christmas, sculptures appeared on Las Canteras Beach from all over to create a Crib Scene out of sand. What’s more, you don’t have to wrap up warm to visit it, and you can take a dip in the ocean beforehand. Even the snails and the seahorses come out of their hiding places to see it.
As their journey neared its end, Sara told Santa about the dogs who stand guard over Santa Ana Square. And their secret – they are not real dogs, but they look just like it, because they have witnessed as many stories as this place, yearning for ferocious pirates and their marauding crew.
Sara treated Santa Claus to a kiss as sweet as the local “bienmesabe” dessert and promised that she would wait for him every Christmas. In turn, he asked her to never stop dreaming.
Ever since, after finishing his important job every Christmas Eve, Santa Claus packs his case to go on holiday to Gran Canaria with Mrs Claus.
Some even swear that they have seen him sunbathing on Las Canteras beach. So now you know why Santa has a red nose!
Photo: Carlos Díaz – Recio
About the author
Sandra Franco Álvarez
Originally from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Sandra Franco made her mark in children’s literature, developing an extensive and highly successful body of work. Her stories weave together the landscapes of her islands with themes of ecology, human rights, and friendship. After this initial phase, she reinvented herself and surprised readers by transitioning to adult fiction with two novels: a historical saga that begins with El Reloj de Elwinga (The Clock of Elwinga) and continues with Has regresado, viejo amigo (You Have Returned, Old Friend). Sandra is a member of the Constelación de Escritoras Canarias (Constellation of Canarian Women Writers) and was the winner of the Fundación Mapfre Guanarteme Solidarity Story Contest.
