This Wednesday, the Washington Daily News published our annual Beaufort County Christmas special section. In addition to holiday events and recipes, the publication contained what has become something of a holiday tradition — letters to Santa Claus written by Beaufort County second graders.

With hundreds of letters from across the county, many were formulaic:

“Dear Santa, I have been good. I want _________. Merry Christmas. Love, _________.”

Others, however, touched on something deeper, ranging from the humorous to the heart wrenching. In addition to the standard fare of wish lists and questions about reindeer, elves and Mrs. Claus, the letters from our second graders scratched the surface on a variety of topics — love, loss, poverty, family dynamics, good and bad — these were all shown through the eyes of children.

While many students asked for the moon, some kids were more practical:

“I want to not be poor and my family to not be poor either.”

“I need some pajamas to go to sleep because the others don’t fit.”

“I really need socks because mine have holes.”

Pets were also a topic:

“I need a cat. We have MOLES and both our cats dies about 2 years ago when I was 5 I think but daddy won’t let us get a cat. I miss Maggie and Laney!”

“I want a turkey because ours got lost.”

Some kids used the letters as a chance to share their feelings on absent loved ones:

“Dear Santa, I have been waiting for Christmas to see my real mom.”

“Dear Santa, can you make my Uncle Pewee come back?”

“Dear lord up in heaven, can you give my Grandma and Grandpa a hug cause I miss them so much. For Christmas I just want to be with my family and friends and share holiday joy. Santa, I want Jesus to bless my family and no fighting in the world.”

Some touched on sibling relationships:

“I have made mistakes but I promise I will fix it. I may have hurted my brothers so can you forgive me?”

“I wish for me and my sister to get along.”

“I’ve been a little naughty because I slapped my sister in the face.”

Others looked outside of themselves, offering genuine wishes for the happiness of others:

“Can I get some money so I can get stuff for my family?”

“I want to donate some toys to other kids because some kids do not have toys and I already got some of my presents under the tree and some people kids do not have presents and that is what some people children get for Christmas.”

Taking these writings, and others, into account, letters to Santa Claus can reveal a lot, not just about individual kids, but about human nature. Just like adults, they have joy and pain. They experience loss and love, and some go without the things they need. To each and every child in our county, we wish a merry little Christmas. While they might not get everything on their list, we hope each of them is blessed with warmth, love and family this holiday season.