As a parent, one of my favorite parts of the holiday season is writing letters to Santa with my sons. This year, my youngest has decided to ask for some wacky things, like Playmobil Eskimos. When we pointed out that there was no such thing, he said, "But Santa can make it. Right? He can make anything!"

That kind of faith in Santa Claus -- the belief that this mythical man with a sleigh and a magical sack of toys can make anything -- is a theme that psychology professor Carole Slotterback sees over and over in children's letters to old Saint Nick. In a new book titled "The Psychology of Santa," Dr. Slotterback, who teaches at the University of Scranton, found that children ask for more than just toys, and that their letters run the gamut from hilarious to heartbreaking.

While researching her book, Slotterback read nearly 1,200 letters to Santa collected at the central post office in Scranton, PA, between 1998 and 2003. Slotterback said that the letters all touched her. "Some are just absolutely a stitch, and others are some of the saddest things I've ever read," she told the AP.

Among the funnier letters Slotterback read was one in which every third item was "NO CLOTHES," and another in which the writer asked Santa to check the appropriate box: "Real or Not Real?"



But not all the letters were funny; many children asked Santa to fill a gap in their lives that was bigger than not having a particular toy. One child asked Santa for a mom, in a letter written on bright pink paper. "Not just for me but my daddy, brother and granny ... my daddy works so hard and then he comes home to cook and clean and it should be easier," the child wrote.

Sue Brennan, a US Postal Service spokesperson, said those are the kind of letters that get to her. "I've never gone five or 10 minutes without getting teary," she told the AP. "It's very emotional."

Slotterback also learned that children's requests to Santa are often responses to things going on in their world. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, for example, the letters took on a stronger patriotic tone. Many letters to Santa are accompanied by drawings; in 2001, the kids' pictures often included American flags. That year, too, kids asked for fewer toys.

But despite an awareness of what had happened that year, none of the children expressed any fears for Santa, or any worries that he would fall prey to a terrorist attack. "Terrorists can do all kinds of things to our world, and they can hurt us in many ways," said Slotterback, "but one thing they can't do is touch Santa. And that was nice to see."

Perhaps the most interesting finding, though, was that kids are not all that polite in their requests to Santa. Despite the fact that parents use the threat that Santa is watching! to coerce excited tots into behaving, kids rarely say "please" or 'thank you" in their letters to Santa. The exception was kids asking for pets; one boy, who wanted a golden retriever, said "please" 16 times in his letter. Clearly, he wasn't getting anywhere with his parents and wanted to get Santa on his side.

So what can parents learn from Slotterback's research? She suggests that adults ask to see their children's wish lists and letters to Santa, because the things they really want might be simpler than what we're expecting.

Unless your child is asking for Playmobil Eskimos. That might be hard.