Dear Santa, Where Are You?

By Mary Fox, Lower Township.
Dear Mr. Claus,
I know this is an awfully busy time of year for you, what with Mrs. Claus, the elves, the reindeer and all, but what gives?
You see, the other day, I was talking with my dear friend Bonnie Reeves. She casually mentioned that she’s been having a hard time catching up with you here in Cape May County. She just wanted to bring her grandson to see you to give you his Christmas list.
Oh, sure… we know you make cameo appearances, riding fire engines in Christmas parades like in Wildwood and West Cape May. And many local establishments invite you in for a day or two for breakfast. But not every family in Cape May County can afford to have a meal with you just to guarantee their children get to whisper their wishes in your ear.
And we know you (or one of your helpers) hang out at the mall and in the big department stores in Philadelphia. But for some Cape May County kids, those places might as well be the North Pole. At least one or two of your elves must have retired here. Or are you – like so many others – just a casual visitor to the Jersey shore?
Anyway, Bonnie and I came up with a sort of list of our own. Please don’t think us naughty for being so bold.
The Cape May County Park and Zoo might be a good place for you to hang out, even just on weekends. The reindeer would like it there for sure.
Local garden centers sell lots of Christmas trees, greens and decorations this time of year. We know you often drop by for a quick visit. Perhaps one of those business owners could invite you in for more than just a day, so the children of Cape May County could bring you their wish lists.
Do you think one of your elves could sprinkle some magic over the local Chambers of Commerce or civic associations? All you really need is a warm place, a comfy chair and some decorations.
Or, perhaps the Herald could have a “Santa Central” hotline to the North Pole, so kids could find out where you’ll be during the Christmas season.
We know you can find a solution to this problem. If Cape May County could finally get a county college, if Cape May County could get rid of the traffic lights on the Parkway, surely Cape May County can find a place for Santa.
Now that we have sent you this letter, we believe you can make this wish come true. If not for this Christmas, well, at least for the next one?
Yours very nicely,
Mary F. Fox
Lower Township
P.S. If you do have time for one more wish, do you think you could return my hair to its youthful color permanently?
Santa’s Reply: Mary, please check The Herald next year. I think it is a great idea and I will try to give them a heads up by Thanksgiving of where I will be headed in Cape May County. Also, I think your hair is very pretty as is. Ho ho ho.