New Year’s Resolutions are seemingly as old as the years themselves. Whether it be to quit smoking, start exercising or quitting procrastination, many people pick out one thing they want to do more or less of, and go from there. Sometimes it lasts; sometimes it doesn’t.

Custer County residents are no different. From your local pastor to your local banker, many local people have things they want to give a try.

Custer County auditor Linda Nelson, said, like most people, she wants to get more healthy.

“I do the same one every year—exercise more and change my diet,” she said.

Will she follow through on it?

“I have good intentions,” she said with a laugh. “That’s all I can say.”

Lisa Steever of the Custer YMCA said she and coworker Mitchell Witt have vowed to give up soda this new year. She said she currently drinks at least 64 ounces a day.

“I would say I have a 75 percent chance of doing it,” she said.

Living Outreach Church pastor Joel Ziolkowski said he doesn’t make resolutions. He feels they are a great, through, for a while, but usually don’t last.

“I try to live a certain way all the time,” he said. “I try to keep things established that are important to me.”

Tom May of Top Pin Archery said he wants to be “less grumpy.” He said his disposition is so bad at times that his wife and kids have taken to calling him “Walter,” after ventriloquist/comedian Jeff Dunham’s grumpy old man character.

“I’m going to try to be more pleasant and understanding,” he said with a laugh.

Lois Wells said she wants to get more use out of her YMCA membership.

“Everyone needs exercise,” she said. “I really want to get to the ‘Y’ more than once every two years.”

Mayor Harold Stickney gave a more political response when asked of his resolutions.

“My New Year’s resolution is to make the city operate as smoothly as it can,” he said.

Ramona Flaig Bradeen was going the quit-smoking route, but has decided to switch the focus of her resolution.

“I’m concentrating very heavily on business and personal goals for the next three to five years,” she said. “I’m revising everything.”

Kristy Carter, also of Coldwell Banker, said her goal for the years is to continue her home beautification. Last year she bought trees and planted them. This year, she wants to put in a lawn.

“That’s one thing I want to get done,” she said. “I also want to continue to take care of my health—and want my family to be safe and healty.”

“I’m a New Year’s resolution guy,” said Ed Starr of Starr Insurance. “I’m going to start going to the YMCA and exercising.”

It’s a resolution he has made before.

“Every year in January and February I’m great. Then it peters out,” he said.

Gov. Mike Rounds is serving the second of his consecutive four-year terms and is not eligible for a third.

Knuppe, 49, joins three other Republicans who have announced their intentions to seek the gubernatorial nomination in 2010.

Lt. Gov. Dennis Daugaard, Brookings Mayor Scott Munsterman and Sioux Falls attorney Scott Knudson have also announced their intentions to seek the seat being vacated by Rounds.

“I’m looking forward to this. It’s something I really want to do. I want to get people involved in the process,” Knuppe said.

He began to get politically involved with ag issues in the Stockgrowers Association.

“We made huge inroads talking to our delegation in Washington, D.C.,” he said.

In the process, Knuppe established statewide contacts which will help him in his run for the governnor’s chair.

“My banker said I was becoming quite the politician. I took offense at it at first, but then I thought about it more,” Knuppe said.

“I’ve been a registered lobbyist in Pierre for the past four years and have enjoyed getting people involved in government. It seems we are losing that connection.

“Our founding fathers wanted people to be part of government. You don’t have to be wealthy or have family connections to be involved. You need a desire and have some business sense behind you,” he said.

Knuppe grew up in agriculture and thinks of himself as a businessman first. His father was a banker in the Wall and New Underwood area.

“I’ve been in business since I was a junior in high school spraying crops. It earned me enough money to put me through college,” he said.

Knuppe has an ag degree with a business option from South Dakota State in Brookings. He and his wife, Monica, were married in 1980. Their four children are all graduates of Custer High School where Monica taught for 11 years. She now teaches school at Red Cloud on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

The Knuppe’s four children are Kendra 26, Kerry 25, Clay 22 and Rich 20.

Whether it’s saying “Bless you!” when someone sneezes, throwing a pinch of salt over your shoulder after spilling some, or feeling uneasy about whistling past a graveyard, lots of otherwise rational people develop little tricks and habits to ward off bad luck and random evils. 

Like most cops, I’m more than a little superstitious. The job makes you this way. 

I now know that it’s considered a mortal curse to tell the on-coming shift of night dogs anything to the effect of, “It’s really quiet out there,” or, “Ah, nothing’s gonna happen tonight.” You’re sure to be met with a chorus of groans and rough speculation about your state of mental health. Not to mention a few choice comments about your family tree.  

Most experienced cops are absolutely sure in their darkest heart of hearts that all really important calls that involve staying on duty a bunch of extra hours take place within a few minutes of the end of their shift. The probability of getting the “money call” increases if you need to use the bathroom, if you are hungry, if your patrol car is low on gas, or if you forgot some crucial piece of equipment on the kitchen table or in the lockbox at the jail. (Hey, has anybody seen my gun? Come on now, this isn’t funny anymore!)

If you really want to double down on the superstition sweepstakes, extra points are added for the last shift before a weekend, the last shift before a vacation and very possibly, the last shift before retirement, as fabled in numerous Hollywood cop-buddy movies: 

“Wow, tough break for Murtaugh. He had 30 years in already. Too bad he got stuck with the suicidal burnout from Narco, huh?” 

Years ago, at another department, I was considered to be the bringer of bad luck. Being young and cocky, I would talk about how nothing was happening and how I wanted some good-old fashioned, red-blooded American action! Like any young rookie I longed for car chases, bar fights, family feuds and all the other fun-loving festivities found on weekend nights in Anytown, USA. I would often taunt the older (and little did I know at the time) wiser cops by telling them that there were  15 minutes left in our shift, and not to worry, something good could still happen. Often, I’d hardly closed my trap before a call crackled over the radio, and we were off to deal with something that would keep us busy for the next several hours. 

Whether it was true or just a result of my relentlessly running my mouth, the other cops began to believe that it could be quiet for days, but when I showed up to work, the wheels would fall off their calm situation in short order. I would say that I don’t mean that the wheels literally fell off anything, except a wheel actually did fall off a patrol car I was in once. Did I already mention the other cops thought I was the bringer of bad luck? 

Slowly, the relentless grind of street life began to force me to change my attitude about taunting the fickle finger of fate. Certain incidents that happened to me could have been what we in law enforcement call “clues.” 

One of these eye-openers happened on a frosty fall night. I had just installed myself into the passenger seat of a patrol car and got comfortable as we pulled out of the parking lot. The other officer told me that it had been a very slow shift so far. I said that was about to change now that I was there. Suddenly, every street and house light we could see blinked out, plunging us into darkness. My fellow law dog said, “Now you did it.” 

Technically, that wasn’t true. A drunk driver who smashed into several mailboxes, a motel sign and finally a power pole was responsible for the power outage that shut off the power to half the town. I knew what the other cop meant, though. In the night-shift world, everything is connected. There are no coincidences. 

Today, 10 years or so later, I try not to tempt fate any more than I have to. My gas tank is full, my bodily functions are promptly taken care of and I try to make sure I have all the equipment I need to get through a shift. 

I’m careful of what I say, too. When someone tells me it’s been a quiet night or a really slow shift, my answer is always the same—“So far.”

 It was a cold night when the Crossroads Church of Custer put on a living nativity scene on Sunday evening, Dec. 21, with temperatures about 14 below zero. Cookies and cider were handed out to those who braved the cold weather and a donation was taken up for the Don and Jill Hart family, with about $400 raised. From left are Warren Graham (gold), Alex Heaton (red), Rita Heaton (blue and white), Kenny Smit (child, gold), Zack Nielsen (green), Hannah Watland (angel), Jeff Slykhuis (blue), Jeff Baird (red) and John Heaton (red).

One of the biggest concerns for residents of the neighborhood is parking and trash in the area on the evening of a concert. Club members have tried to address this concern by proposing a three block buffer zone around the venue, which would help  ease congestion of traffic flow in the area and help facilitate emergency management vehicles in and out of the area. Offsite parking with shuttles would eliminate pedestrian and vehicle contact inside the park, as well as keep adjacent streets clear of on-street parking, the club said.

Some citizens are also wary of “turning over” the city park to the club. However, the club says it is proposing a limited use of the park, with afternoons being the target date for events to start, with most ending by 8 p.m.—although some evening events would run until midnight. Daylight events would deliver stronger, family-focused events.

Most of the events are tentatively scheduled for Saturdays. Among some of the 2009 dates being considered are May 23, June 6, June 30, July 4, Aug. 2, Aug. 5-6, Sept. 5 and Sept. 26.

The club also seeks a “classy delivery,” with the venue flanked with flags and banners, a balanced delivery of visual branding and the stage itself located at the low point of the park. The venue would allow lawn chair and blanket seating, and limited vendor placement inside the park.

“Our goal is to deliver family-oriented events the majority of the events planned,” the club said in a press release.

The club continues to work with the city on negotiating a contract for the amphitheatre, although there figures to be more public input about the facility before it is put to a final vote before the city council.

Club members have said some entertainers have been contacted about performing at the amphitheatre. The club’s goal is to begin shows beginning Memorial Day.

That changed over the years, however, as the Hermosa native became more and more disenfranchised with county government. It finally got to the point he was so dissatisfied, he sought, and won, a seat on the Custer County Commission. He also gained some new perspective once he started to serve in his new role.

“I thought I could do better,” he said. “When I got on, I found out they weren’t nearly as bad as I envisioned.”

Bishop has spent the last six years as a county commissioner. After losing in the election this year, he and commissioner Don Gifford will leave the board this at the end of this year. Gifford, who has served  four years, did not seek reelection.

“I have had my time,” Gifford said. “A commission needs new people to keep it open, responsive and energized.”

Gifford initially ran after deciding he wanted to become involved in county government. He said the issues most important to county citizens are having a frugal, open and fair commission that listens to taxpayers, an efficient county government that holds the line on expenses and taxes, an aesthetic environment with clean air and water and a good system of roads that is maintained to reasonable standards.

Bishop, too, said roads are a priority for citizens, as are taxes and law enforcement. He said people desire more law enforcement and lower taxes—two things that don’t go hand-in-hand.

“Those things just don’t jell together,” he said. “The roads are not maintained in top condition all the time, but that takes money to do that. We can’t afford to have that much law enforcement presence that they are immediately available (everywhere).”

Gifford said he is proud of several things the commission has accomplished in his time served, beginning with helping persuade taxpayers to expand the commission from three to five members, listening to Sidney Park taxpayers and persuading the commission to reestablish the old exit out of Custer, organizing a zoning committee and hiring David Green as planning director and the combined agency response after the Hermosa flood.

His favorite part has been having the opportunity to work with the various county department heads and John Hohn and Associates in organizing an information technology committee to guide the development of an interactive information network including establishment of policies and procedures on purchasing equipment and software applications.

“It has been a time of tremendous change in Custer County,” he said. “It has been an educational experience that I had the privilege of enjoying.”

Bishop said most of the decisions—80 to 90 percent—made by the commission are straightforward. It is that smaller percentage that is debateable that can cause rancor among county citizens.

“There are expectations that the county should be doing more things for specific individuals. There are people who want more than what I believe is a reasonable request,” he said. “One of the things I have always felt good about is that I have always gotten back with people who call me and listened to their concerns. I haven’t always agreed with them, but I have listened to their perspective.”

Gifford said the impact of rising real estate values and taxes on long-time residents and the elderly with fixed incomes, the impact of development and expanding population on rural values and culture and adaptation of new residents to dusty, unpaved roads and a rural living environment will continue to be big issues for the county as it continues to move forward.

“I’ve learned to always listen to all sides of the story, and be sure you understand what the opposing factions on an issue are telling you,” he said.

He added it is important for the commission to function as a commission, not individuals, be alert and act aggressively with conflicts of interests and to remember its fiduciary responsibilities and code of ethics. His biggest disappointment is that the commission, town of Hermosa and the fair board have been unable to reach an agreement on ownership and management of the county fairgrounds.

All things considered, however, he said he enjoyed his time as a commissioner.

“Custer County is blessed with an outstanding staff of employees who are very capable and work hard to provide services to the taxpayers,” he said.

Bishop said he hasn’t ruled out another run at a commission seat in the future, but also said it has been a pleasure serving the taxpayers of the county.

“They need to continue to support and be involved in their local government,” he said.

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services concluded there was evidence that 12 girls, ages 12 to 15, were “spiritually” married to adult men at the YFZ Ranch in Eldorado, Texas. Seven of them had one or more children, according to the report.

The Salt Lake Tribune also reported that another 262 children were listed as neglected because the agency said their parents knew there was sexual abuse in the household but did not move to protect their children from possible abuse.

There were 439 children removed from the YFZ Ranch after a raid early last spring.

These findings are separate from the ongoing criminal cases against some of the men at the ranch.

The individual investigations, which covered 146 families, concluded that 91 families had children who were abused or neglected. 

This conclusion, according to the Department of Family and Protective Services spokesman Patrick Crimmins, confirmed what investigators initially suspected —that girls were being forced into underage marriages and other children were exposed to that harm.

A dozen FLDS men now face charges including sexual abuse and bigamy based on documents and evidence seized at the ranch.

The Salt Lake Tribune reported that most of the 200 parents have been through parenting classes and signed agreements promising to protect their children from alleged abusers. 

All but 19 of the children’s cases have been dropped from court oversight because the agency believes they can be kept safe.

The Custer County Commission continued to approve of the county highway department’s winter four-day work week. County highway superintendent John Culberson laid out the benefits of working four 10-hour days to the commission, saying it is a monetary issue that actually saves the taxpayers money.

“National Treasure: Book of Secrets” was the number one movie at the box office in January. Parts of “NT:BoS” were filmed at Mount Rushmore and Sylvan Lake.

A deer management plan was one of the three main issues discussed by the Custer City Council at its year-end meeting New Year’s Eve at city hall. 

Bill Sniffin, Lander, Wyo., owner of the Winner Advocate announced the sale of that weekly newspaper to Charley and Norma Najacht of Custer on Jan. 2.

A new Biomass Energy Resource Center boiler was purchased by STAR Academy. A study found that a chip boiler would save STAR Academy over $200,000 in its first year of operations, or 67 percent. Thirty year net percent value of savings would be $4.7 million.

Martha Smith, 80-years-old, shot a mountain lion in her back yard. Smith of Fairburn, received calls from media in New York, California, Iowa, Florida, Minnesota and all the way over in London, England.

Dacotah Bank opened for business on Monday, Jan. 28. Jim Lyon, branch manager, brings 15 years of Dacotah Bank experience to the Custer location. 

February

The anticipated Pamida store project moved from the west side of Custer to the east side. 

The county commissioners established a courthouse expansion committee to explore steps that will need to be taken to remodel, rebuild or renovate the existing courthouse. The current courthouse, built in the 1970s, was unable to accommodate the needs of the county.

Custer High School senior Libby Marking was the second finalist in KEVN Black Hills FOX’s Rising Star of the West Scholarship contest. Markings commentary on the importance of music in the schools was rated the best of the week by a combination of viewers on www.blackhillsfox.com and a Black Hills FOX panel of judges. 

Between the three kindergarten classes in Custer, almost $200 was raised for the Custer Food Pantry. The classes take the money they saved and, as a a class, go to the grocery stores and buy food for the pantry.

Plans continued for Way Park to evolve in a February Custer Community Improvement Committee meeting. The goal was to make the park a more focal gathering point for the community. 

After a 45-year absence, the historic Hermosa Telephone Co. switchboard returned home. The Hermosa Arts and History Association and the Fall River County Historical Society combined to send the historic switchboard home.

The National Park Service awarded a grant of $10,000 to the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks. The funds were used to help construct a new playground at Legion Lake Campground in Custer State Park.

March

With a 5-1 vote, the Custer City Council approved the construction of a Pamida store in Custer, along with the allocation of $709,344 in tax increment financing (TIF) funds to help pay for the project.

Thirty three-year-old Ryan Hughes, Rapid City, was fishing in Chipper Bay, on the south end of Sheridan Lake, when he took a break. While taking his break, he was attacked by an 80-90 pound mountain lion. Hughes received several lacerations to his right forearm, face, cheek and jaw, as well as punctures on his hand. Hughes was treated at  Rapid City Regional Hospital and released soon after.

Rob Mahaffey, former lead investigator for the sheriff’s department, was hired as the new liaison officer for the Custer School District. 

A new liquor store look was discussed by the Custer City Council. Originally, the plan was for the building to have a mine-style headframe look, a salute to Custer’s early mining days.

The Custer City Council unanimously approved a resolution of intent to establish a Business Improvement District (BID). The BID, when created, will be at the behest of a majority of motel and hotel owners in Custer who have come together and agreed upon a plan with the goal of better advertising lodging in Custer and filling each hotel up with guests both during tourism season and the winter.

Custer artist Peg Frietag submitted a matted and framed feather to the Custer Stampede. The imitation immature golden eagle feather she paints on featured an outdoor landscape with a herd of buffalo grazing.

Two of three trees in Way Park were recommended for removal by Dr. John Ball, professor of forestry, horticulture and landscape at South Dakota State University. 

April

An 14-year-old boy was found in fair condition after being rescued from the Harney Peak area after he wandered away from a group of people visiting the park. The boy was part of a group of Native American tribes that had gathered at Harney Peak for the spring solstice.

Most seats go uncontested for the primary election in June. The one race that was contested was the two spots on the Custer County Commission. The seats of Marvin Bishop and Don Gifford were both up for grabs.

The Custer County Chronicle brought home a record 23 awards from the S.D. Newspaper Association. 

Sixteen-year-old Ruth Stubbs, was at least in part responsible for the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) decision to start building compounds, including the one in Custer, after bringing a lawsuit against her police officer and polygamist husband, Rodney Holmes. After a call to the police, the FLDS compound in Texas was raided. 

The Department of Game, Fish and Parks has completed a month-long investigation into a reported mountain lion attack on the shoreline of Sheridan Lake in the Black Hills and concluded that the attack probably occurred, but did not find enough evidence to confirm it.

Allen and Kristi Scott, Custer, began a new venture with the purchase of the local Curves franchise.

Ground was broken for the new Pamida at 1135 Mt. Rushmore Road. The new facility will be a 26,000-square-foot store scheduled to be completed in 2009.

May

The Custer Special Olympics team competed the Black Hills Area Special Olympic Games in Spearfish. It was a great time to be had by all.

The focus of discussion at the May 6 Custer County Commission meeting was new ways to bring in revenue. Inflation and soaring costs for fuel and other staples of court service were becoming worrisome for the commission. The commission fielded ideas from various county department heads at the meeting to see what could be done to make revenues equal, or at least come closer to equaling, costs in certain areas. Among ideas discussed were fee increases for services at the courthouse, impact fees and the possibility of cooperative bidding with the city on items such as fuel.

The staff at Highmark Federal Credit Union won the best masquerade costumes award at the chamber’s Spring Fling banquet. 

Custer School District officials presented a proposed $10.8 million budget for the upcoming 2008-09 school year at its annual budget hearing on May 12. The new budget was nearly $100,000 lower than the last year.

Feeling the pinch of high gas prices and higher food prices, many of Custer city’s employees met with the city council and asked for a $2 raise for those who are paid hourly. 

Custer Regional Senior Care received a Nintendo Wii from a donation by McColley’s Chapel of the Southern Hills. The Nintendo Wii was a great fit for the residents because most of them are unable to lift bowling balls or swing baseball bats. Thanks to the Nintendo Wii, the residents now can relive their younger years.

A threat, written in graffiti, caused the evacuation of every school in the Custer School District for just over four hours on Thursday, May 15, while authorities and bomb-sniffing dogs searched each school for explosives.

Custer High School graduated 52 students  on May 17.

June

Mark Hartman and David Hazeltine advanced to the general election as the Republican candidates for Custer County Commission after beating out three other candidates in the primary election. Hartman led with 560 votes, while Hazeltine collected 505 votes.

A total of 10,513 people hiked up Crazy Horse for the 23rd annual Volksmarch. 

Ten months after it occurred, the Town of Hermosa still struggled with bills accrued during last August’s flood. The town looked for help paying those bills, and addressed the Custer County Commission. Hermosa had $12,000 in bills due to the flood.

Twenty people in Custer lost their jobs when a fire ripped through the kitchen at the Wrangler Restaurant in the early morning hours of June 11.

On June 26, Crazy Horse mountain carving came to life with a fiery night blast to celebrate the 82nd birthday of Ruth Ziolkowski, president/CEO of Crazy Horse Memorial, and to commemorate the 132nd anniversary of the Battle of the Little Big Horn.

As soon as the Verizon cell phone tower on Sylvan Lake Road went up, Custer County planning director David Green said he heard complaints. Complaints such as: tower was too tall, tower blocked the scenery, and flashing light was annoying. At the June 25 commissioner meeting, the second reading of the ordinance to prevent another tower from being constructed was held. The reading passed. Custer County can regulate where and how tall towers can be that are placed in the county.

After already spending two years in a Pennington County jail, it was announced that Chad Wilson and John Midmore would finally stand trial on Oct. 6. The two Hells Angels faced a variety of charges in connection with the shooting at Legion Lake Resort in Custer State Park.

— Continued next week

In the past, we have been able to weather national economic storms and shrug them off. However, the current economic crisis centering on banking institutions has been global in nature. It’s not just us in the United States who are taking some hard economic hits. About every nation in the world, especially those in Europe, are taking it on the chin also. What happens in our national economy truly affects others around the world. Never has this proven so true as in our current economic downturn.

Our government’s initial response to several high profile financial institution failures was a $700 billion bailout package. This highly controversial move came with a shocking lack of oversight on these financial institutions which all appeared to sock the money away in their vaults instead of making loans to viable businesses. Now we are hearing that the incoming Obama administration has a one trillion dollar economic stimulus package waiting in the wings and ready to go after January’s inauguration. This reportedly will involve national road and bridge construction projects meant to stimulate our nation’s lagging economy.

Two of the so-called Big Three automakers have been the recipients of some $15 billion in federal loans so far to sustain their operations through the first part of 2009. General Motors and Chrysler said the money is needed to keep them afloat, while Ford says it has enough cash to get through the next year if things don’t get much worse. Much of the problem hinges on the inability of prospective auto buyers to secure a bank loan.

Some economists say things are bound to get worse before they get better. Even President-elect Obama admits it may take years to turn things around again. This is not a very happy prospect to look forward to in 2009.   But, Americans have faced tough times before and come out the better for it. Let’s hope the year 2009 is the beginning of the economic recovery in this great country of ours and that it will, indeed, be a Happy New Year!

I’ve become a bit more of a grinch over the years, as being a kid who only receives presents has been replaced by being an adult who has to battle crowds and spend a lot of money buying presents for my family. I actually got my shopping done relatively early this year, which made things a little more tolerable.

Some of the family is easy to buy for. For the kids, all you have to do is find a toy aisle somewhere. Problem solved. My parents are the most difficult to shop for, as they have pretty much everything and don’t give you a lot of suggestions on what to buy them. I always figure if they don’t like what I got them, they can always return it.

Each year, we at the Chronicle run our “Letters to Santa” in the paper, in which the younger elementary students in the school district write a little note to Santa telling them what they want for Christmas. It’s always fun to type the letters—some of them are pure comedy you just can’t make up. We often will read the more funny letters aloud to everyone in the office as we are typing them.

I don’t remember ever writing a letter to Santa as a child, but I’m sure I did. If I did, I can only hope that my letter rivaled some of the ones I have featured in this column in terms of comedy and creativity. I looked back through some archived Chronicles, and pulled out some letters from kids who are now high school students in Custer. I tried to find some of the more interesting ones. We get letters similar to these every year. It’s interesting to see how each child goes about trying to get Santa to bring them what they want on Christmas day. Oh, and all of the letters have been put in this column as they appeared in the paper—typos and all.

Some kids tried the poetic route, like then-third grader Shawna Gibson:

Christmas is a good year.

Here is Santa Clause. 

Rudolph has a shinny nose.

It’s a cool year.

Santa Clause is cool.

Tinsel is fun to play with.

Merry Christmas to all of you.

And then on Christmas day you can spend it with your family.

Santa Clause eats cookies and milk.

Does it rhyme? No. And come to think of it, she never asked for anything. Maybe it was reverse psychology?

Current sophomore Garet Tucker seemed resigned to the fact he wouldn’t be getting anything, but figured he would write anyway:

Dear Santa,

I’m only going to name one thing on my list becase I could fill this whole page with stuf. I would like a playstation, I probly wont get it, but it’s worth asking. Your friend,

Garet Tucker

Then third grader Taylor Foster tried the selfless technique to get what she wanted.

Dear Santa,

…I have been keeping my eye on some things. I would like to have another puppy. Otherwise, I don’t need anything. but, if you don’t get me that, it’s okey. Just give me anything that you want me to have. Merry Christmas.

Taylor Foster

P.S. Let the children of Afganasta get anof to eat.

As someone who helps type the Christmas letters, I can tell you that letters like this are few and far between. Most have a list as long as the page of things they want, as you will see if you read  this year’s letters!

Then first grader Julie Nelson took it even one step further, asking for things for her sister, not herself.

Dear Santa, 

How are you doing? I’m fine. I don’t really care what I get, but I know my sister Cora would like a golden retriever.

Love,

Julie Nelson

Brandon Miller, a third grader at the time, apparently developed a love for football long before starting as a tight end on this year’s football team.

Dear Santa,

Christmas is about giving and celebraating the ones that have died and famley gathering together. I fell sorry for the kids in Afghanistan. I would like a Play Stoton 2, Madden 2002, a 19 nch colerd TV, eny team little football.

Brandon Miller

Many of the kids in this particular class mentioned kids in Afghanistan. I don’t know if they had just finished up a lesson on the country or what the deal was. The most impressive thing about Brandon’s letter was his nailing the spelling of the country perfectly!

I can only assume Luke Roddy and Brandon Smith sat next to each other in Mrs. Cofell’s second grade class. Both started their letters with small talk—Brandon talking about the cookies and milk being left out, and Luke wondering how cold the North Pole is. Both finished by asking for a Vikings jersey, although Brandon wanted a Randy Moss jersey, while Luke wanted Robert Smith.

This is just a small sample of the many letters that can be found by looking back in our archives. No doubt many of the parents of the students who wrote the letters still have them sitting in a scrapbook somewhere.

My wish list for Christmas has gotten considerably smaller and less expensive as I have grown older. I really don’t need a lot of fancy gadgetry, and I wouldn’t have anywhere to put it even if I had it. I usually ask for the same things every year. A calendar, some pants for work, some T-shirts and a pair of shoes. Works for me.

Here’s hoping all of you get what you are asking for this year. If you are traveling to visit family this Christmas, or if someone is traveling to visit you, may they be safe travels. Remember the reason for the season, and may you and yours have a Merry Christmas and the happiest New Year.