Dear Santa ...

Staff Report
On Christmas Eve, when all the children are nestled all snug in their beds with visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads, they will be dreaming about the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree and all the brightly colored packages that Santa Claus will be leaving under it.
Children across St. Mary Parish were given the opportunity to write a letter to Santa, letting him know what they would like in those brightly colored packages.
You can read some of the letters Tri-City area kids wrote to Santa inside this edition.
Some of the most asked-for gifts in the letters include LOL and Barbie dolls; Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox; and things to ride on like scooters, bicycles, and hover boards.
Some even ask for motorcycles. Saphira, kindergarten student at Hattie Watts, would like Santa to bring her dad a motorcycle, but Immanuel, also a kindergarten student at Hattie Watts, would like one for himself. He writes, “I want a fake motorcycle, but I really want a real one. But I don’t know how to ride one.”
A lot of the children make sure they let Santa know they were good all year. Some, like Graham R., Sam F., Hayden P. and Luca T., all first graders at Berwick Elementary, add some spin: “I have been kind of good this year.”
Some, like Kameryn, first grade at Hattie Watts, admit they may not have been the best, but assure Santa they can change. Kameryn writes: “I no that iv bin having timpr prablums at my sister and iv bin bing men to her. But I can chang. All I need to do is chang.”
Curiosity about Santa is something else a lot of the letters have in common.
Jack, a first grader at Central Catholic Elementary, would like to know “how do you drop off the presents in one nite?” while Reid, also a first grader at Central Catholic Elementary, asks “How does the slai and reindeer fly?”
Evangeline, a second grader at Central Catholic Elementary, got a little more personal, asking, “Which reindeer is your favorite? How many cookies can you hold in your belly? What is your favorite food?”
Not all the Christmas wishes from the children are for toys. Some are wishes from the heart for family unity.
At least two youngsters wrote to wish their father would come back home.
Some children even have wishes to lighten the burden in their lives. “Can you make stuff easier for my mom and dad? Can you buy us clothes?” wrote one student.
“Something I really need is a table for eating," another wrote.