Each year, sharing “Letters to Santa” from Franklin first-graders puts a little extra twinkle in our eyes here at the Franklin County Times. This special section is part of this week’s paper, and we hope you’ll take a moment to enjoy the simple innocence that can be found in these letters.

We love to see what these precious children are hoping to find under the tree on Christmas morning. You can tell these “tiny tots with their eyes all aglow” have put a lot of thought into what they most hope to receive.

Some items are perennial Christmas wishes. Big ticket items you’ll see on many lists include iPhones, Xboxes, Playstations and cold, hard cash – usually in dizzying amounts. On the other hand, some simpler things also continue to make children’s lists year after year – like slime, teddy bears, LEGOs and Hot Wheels.

You can tell when friends or desk neighbors have compared notes as they have worked on their wish lists. When two letters list the same desires, in the same order – you know that’s not a coincidence.

Of course, there are always a few letters that really touch our hearts. One child in this year’s section asks Santa to make sure their parents have a good Christmas. Another asks that all the children on the Angel Tree have their Christmas wishes granted.

We hope you’ll take the time to flip to the C-section of this week’s paper and at least skim a few of the letters to Santa.

You’ll find the hearts of our children on its pages, from their desires for pets of all kinds to their wheedling promises of cookies, Happy Meals, carrots and more for Santa and his hard-working reindeer.

If this holiday section doesn’t bring a smile to your face, you might need to shelve your Bah Humbug and make sure your heart isn’t two sizes too small.