thedrifter
12-22-06, 05:42 AM
Dear Santa: What I want for Christmas
December 22,2006
ANNE CLARK
By Anne Clark Daily News Staff
Dear Santa Claus,
This Christmas I want a baby so I can play with her. I know what a baby is.
Sincerely,
Vivian
Shirley Weaver is one of Santa’s helpers, but her Christmas work is done. This season, she addressed and mailed 214 letters from Santa to the children of local service members.
This year, the kids left letters — with toy requests, drawings, greetings and heartfelt wishes for a deployed parent — at Tarawa Terrace and Midway Park community centers.
Many were collected Dec. 2 during the Christmas Town Express event.
“Somebody does read these letters, and a lot of effort goes into getting them back to children,” said Weaver, manager of Midway Park community center. “It’s not something we take lightly.”
Dear Santa,
I want a real snake.
Jacob
Weaver has been helping Santa personally answer every child’s letter for six years. Though there wasn’t yet a global war in 2000, Weaver said the tone of the children’s letters hasn’t changed much since then.
“It’s been ‘Bring my daddy home,’ and he might have been in Okinawa,” Weaver said. “It’s always been that way. That’s what a kid wants for Christmas.”
She said that nearly half of the letters Santa got this year from military children included a wish to bring a deployed parent home. This Christmas, more than 700,000 military kids under the age of five will be apart from their mother or father, according to the DoD.
Dear Santa,
I want some Heely’s. I will be good forever.
Thank you,
Candy
ps. Take some toys to daddy at Iraq.
So how does Santa respond? If a child asks for a brother or a reptilian pet, can Santa promise to deliver?
In these cases, Weaver said Santa is diplomatic; he defers to mom or dad on those gift ideas. Other toy requests, for Diego rescue sets, dinosaur figures or dolls, are easier to support.
In Santa’s personal letters — with a red Santa hat logo under his signature — he writes that his elves have worked hard to make the child’s special presents, and that he and Mrs. Claus were happy to see the child’s name on the “Who’s Been Nice List” this year.
Dear Santa Claus,
I just wish that everyone has a jolly and merry Christmas. I hope I made it on the nice list. Keep up the coal for the naughty and presents for the nice.
Sincerely,
Jason
Santa’s letters usually include a reminder to leave milk and cookies out for him. He gets many questions about his reindeer — how they’re doing (resting up for the big ride) and what they eat (reindeer food that looks very much like marshmallows, Chex mix and pretzels.)
Dear North Pole,
Hey, I hope you are taking care of the reindeer. I wonder what I’m getting.
Christina
Dear Santa,
May I please have a bike? I will leave a carrot for the reindeer.
Love,
Caleb
Some of the kids’ letters were gifts to Santa. A few included crayon snowmen or penciled reindeer pulling Santa in his sleigh across a starlit night. Others are affectionate (“I love you,” wrote Miguel, with a hand drawn heart); friendly (“Tell all the elves that I said Hi!” wrote a little girl named Christina); and honest (“I do not know what to ask for,” eight-year-old Robert wrote. “Well, just send some Legos, please.”)
Santa,
I don’t think you are fake.
Unsigned
A number of the service members’ children who wrote letters to Santa thought of others first and, in some cases, solely.
An eight-year-old girl named Abby said that she’d been a good girl with her dad deployed and helped at home with her two brothers. Little Corinne wanted her family to be happy for Christmas; a boy named Chase only asked that Santa make his sister well again.
“It’s not often you get ones like that,” Weaver said. “These kids are being brought up a certain way.”
Dear Santa,
Please give toys to kids that have less than me.
Nygel
If Santa is able to respond to these sweet requests, then others — like asking for snow — are harder to fulfill. And the toughest letters to write are to those children who only want their daddy to come home. Santa can only comfort these children.
Be good; your dad will be home as soon as he can. Until then, keep praying for him, Santa writes. He’s a large figure in this season of hope.
“It’s important for them to look up to someone who does good things,” Weaver said.
Ellie
December 22,2006
ANNE CLARK
By Anne Clark Daily News Staff
Dear Santa Claus,
This Christmas I want a baby so I can play with her. I know what a baby is.
Sincerely,
Vivian
Shirley Weaver is one of Santa’s helpers, but her Christmas work is done. This season, she addressed and mailed 214 letters from Santa to the children of local service members.
This year, the kids left letters — with toy requests, drawings, greetings and heartfelt wishes for a deployed parent — at Tarawa Terrace and Midway Park community centers.
Many were collected Dec. 2 during the Christmas Town Express event.
“Somebody does read these letters, and a lot of effort goes into getting them back to children,” said Weaver, manager of Midway Park community center. “It’s not something we take lightly.”
Dear Santa,
I want a real snake.
Jacob
Weaver has been helping Santa personally answer every child’s letter for six years. Though there wasn’t yet a global war in 2000, Weaver said the tone of the children’s letters hasn’t changed much since then.
“It’s been ‘Bring my daddy home,’ and he might have been in Okinawa,” Weaver said. “It’s always been that way. That’s what a kid wants for Christmas.”
She said that nearly half of the letters Santa got this year from military children included a wish to bring a deployed parent home. This Christmas, more than 700,000 military kids under the age of five will be apart from their mother or father, according to the DoD.
Dear Santa,
I want some Heely’s. I will be good forever.
Thank you,
Candy
ps. Take some toys to daddy at Iraq.
So how does Santa respond? If a child asks for a brother or a reptilian pet, can Santa promise to deliver?
In these cases, Weaver said Santa is diplomatic; he defers to mom or dad on those gift ideas. Other toy requests, for Diego rescue sets, dinosaur figures or dolls, are easier to support.
In Santa’s personal letters — with a red Santa hat logo under his signature — he writes that his elves have worked hard to make the child’s special presents, and that he and Mrs. Claus were happy to see the child’s name on the “Who’s Been Nice List” this year.
Dear Santa Claus,
I just wish that everyone has a jolly and merry Christmas. I hope I made it on the nice list. Keep up the coal for the naughty and presents for the nice.
Sincerely,
Jason
Santa’s letters usually include a reminder to leave milk and cookies out for him. He gets many questions about his reindeer — how they’re doing (resting up for the big ride) and what they eat (reindeer food that looks very much like marshmallows, Chex mix and pretzels.)
Dear North Pole,
Hey, I hope you are taking care of the reindeer. I wonder what I’m getting.
Christina
Dear Santa,
May I please have a bike? I will leave a carrot for the reindeer.
Love,
Caleb
Some of the kids’ letters were gifts to Santa. A few included crayon snowmen or penciled reindeer pulling Santa in his sleigh across a starlit night. Others are affectionate (“I love you,” wrote Miguel, with a hand drawn heart); friendly (“Tell all the elves that I said Hi!” wrote a little girl named Christina); and honest (“I do not know what to ask for,” eight-year-old Robert wrote. “Well, just send some Legos, please.”)
Santa,
I don’t think you are fake.
Unsigned
A number of the service members’ children who wrote letters to Santa thought of others first and, in some cases, solely.
An eight-year-old girl named Abby said that she’d been a good girl with her dad deployed and helped at home with her two brothers. Little Corinne wanted her family to be happy for Christmas; a boy named Chase only asked that Santa make his sister well again.
“It’s not often you get ones like that,” Weaver said. “These kids are being brought up a certain way.”
Dear Santa,
Please give toys to kids that have less than me.
Nygel
If Santa is able to respond to these sweet requests, then others — like asking for snow — are harder to fulfill. And the toughest letters to write are to those children who only want their daddy to come home. Santa can only comfort these children.
Be good; your dad will be home as soon as he can. Until then, keep praying for him, Santa writes. He’s a large figure in this season of hope.
“It’s important for them to look up to someone who does good things,” Weaver said.
Ellie