Childhood is a special time in everyone’s life. It is a time when anything seems possible, and magical worlds seem to be just around every bend.

And for most children, Christmas is one of the most enchanted times of the year. Visions of much more than just sugarplums dance in their heads, and they eagerly await their bounty on Christmas morning. What’s more, the man bringing that bounty, namely Santa Claus, captures their fertile imaginations for the majority of the holiday season. It is a spell that lasts only a few precious years, so it is a time to be treasured by all members of the family.

In a time when e-mails and text messages have virtually replaced taking pen to paper, the traditional “letter to Santa” has often gotten lost in the shuffle. L’Observateur, however, realizes getting those letters to the North Pole is an important rite of passage for many little ones, and seeing children scribble their Christmas dreams on sheets of paper can add a bit of warmth to parents’ sometimes-frazzled holiday hearts. It is a reminder of simpler times and reinforces the dreamy nature of the season for the little ones.

In an effort to keep this time-honored tradition alive, L’Observateur is encouraging all area children to send their letters to Mr. Claus to us. We’ll make sure they get to their intended destination, but before we do, we’ll save a copy of it to be printed in the paper when it gets a little closer to the big day. The published letters are sure to be a delight to the children who created them and a treasured keepsake for parents for years to come. We also encourage the children to create a drawing to accompany those wish lists.

Letters should be written on a piece of white paper in black pen or dark pencil. Drawings can be in crayon and should be on the same piece of paper as the letter. Each child is encouraged to sign the letters, but parents, please write the child’s full name, age and hometown on the back side of the paper, near the bottom.

Send letters to: Letters to Santa, c/o L’Observateur, 116 Newspaper Drive, LaPlace, LA 70068, or drop them off at our office located off Main Street behind Destiny Christian Center.

Letters must be received by Dec. 15 to make it into the paper, so make sure you get them to us as early as possible.