Every holiday season, the Butler Eagle publishes dozens of letters from children intended for Santa Claus himself.

Of course, these letters are flown hastily to the North Pole by our mascot, Scoop, but they are also enjoyed by readers of the Butler Eagle. Children may spot their own letters in the paper, parents cut them out for memory books and others simply delight in the spirit of Christmas conveyed by the children of Butler County.

This year’s requests detail wishes for dolls, books, bikes, electronics and more.

Here at the Eagle, our favorites are the ones that detail how they’ll leave cookies for Santa or carrots for the reindeer. We love seeing children thinking about and thanking Santa Claus for the efforts that go into the holiday season.

It really is such a magical time of year for them.

As parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends, its easy to get caught up in the spending, but when you look at the season through the eyes of children, you may learn traditions like leaving out cookies, singing holiday tunes or driving around to look at holiday displays are the more memorable aspects.

Key takeaways of a recent Forbes survey on American holiday spending trends found 36% of respondents anticipated spending more this holiday season than last year.

About 44% of that surveyed group expect to spend $751 or more on gifts this year.

More than half the group will use credit cards and of those who do, nearly 42% expect to accumulate $500 or more in credit card debt.

Of course, with inflation, its near impossible to imagine spending less than last year — a feat that 13% of respondents said they will attempt to achieve.

But maybe it’s a worthwhile notion to spend less money, and instead prioritize spending more time with loved ones.

— TL