Dear Santa,

Well big guy, we're less than two weeks away from your annual show and it is also time for my annual Christmas list. The circulation department made me aware that you are a subscriber to the Butler Eagle online (delivery to the North Pole can be tough) but this works out great since I save postage by taking my message directly to you.

You know that I struggle during this time of year, Santa. It's hard for me to be festive, especially when there is so much doom and gloom on the television. But for some reason, it's different this year for me.

Rather than send you a list of things I want (let's face it, I really don't "need" anything) I thought that it would be cool to send you a list of things I am thankful for. Yes, Thanksgiving was just here, but I'm just getting around to saying thanks. Not surprisingly, I'm a little late (again.)

Maybe it's because my kids have a newfound enthusiasm this year for the holiday. When I look into their eyes I see millions of hopes, dreams and plans that are untainted by economic woes. I see joy and I hear laughter — the kind of laughter that is genuine and unashamed. The type of laughter that was missing from my life before the crazy kids came around.

Perhaps that's the difference this year, Santa. Through certain circumstances, I've learned to really listen to sounds this past year, as well as watch and observe what is going on around me. Thank you for opening my ears and eyes this past year.

It's neat when you can go back in time and view things through the eyes of a child. But unfortunately, the very grown-up problems facing many of us this year seem to have removed our kaleidoscope eyeglasses.

When things get really tough, like they are right now, it's also easy to say some things that kids really shouldn't hear. Thank you for helping me to hold my tongue during the past year, keeping my words meaningful yet fit for print. I'm proud to say that my children haven't added any new "adult" words to their vocabulary this year — at least not any that can be attributed to my vocabulary.

Thanks also for the friends and family you've blessed me with this past year. Life without these folks would be unbearable, as they provide more psychological support for my own hopes, dreams and plans than anything else. They each make me a better person and more important, act as an important influence on my children. It's fun to watch how the kids affect others — they make them younger in spirit.

With that said, please be gentle to my friends and family who have lost a special loved one last year. Holidays are hard enough on their own, without the added burden of remembering lost loved ones. Let my family know that even if I'm not with them, I am thinking of them and praying for a gentle, comforting holiday filled with joy.

Let me thank you in advance for the gift of 2009. Whether I'm ready for it or not, I know that it's coming, so rather than fight it, I thought it would be wise to buckle up tight, adjust my seat belt and get ready for whatever next year brings. I know that it will be filled with fun, hope, excitement, boredom, joy, pain, laughter and tears. After all, isn't that what living is really about?

Thank you for letting me live this past year to the fullest, Santa. Thank you for a stable family, crazy kids (and even some crazy cats I pretend to hate) and a body still capable of getting on the treadmill once in a while.

Thank you for this holiday and helping me remember what it's all about. It's not about receiving gifts, but thanking everyone for the gifts they've given and the gifts not yet received. Merry Christmas to the best readers a writer could ask for.

Christian Ola, a community columnist for the Butler Eagle, resides in Mars with his wife, son and daughter and can be reached at christianolac@aol.com and through his Web site, www.christianola.com.