Dear Santa

Wait a minute.  All of these letters are supposed to start with "Dear Ian!"  Have no fear; here we go...

Dear Ian,

This year you really "got" all of the festivities and activities of Christmas.  You believed with your whole heart in the magic of Christmas, Santa and his reindeer, and in Chapel and at home, you were learning about the birth of Jesus.  The lights on houses thrilled you.  You started wrapping your toys in your Loveys and giving them as gifts to Daddy and me.  This year, Christmas was truly in your heart and special for all of us. 

And this year, you wrote your very first letter to Santa.  Well, you dictated and I wrote, but you wrote your own name and decorated your letter all by yourself. 

Here's the outside of your letter.  I gave you dot letters to follow and trace, and you did a great job. 

And here is your actual letter.  I love that you asked me the check the "quite good" box versus the "very good" box at the top of the letter.  Maybe you are more self-aware than I realized.  Anyhoo.  You asked Santa for a basketball hoop and ball, a John Deere 40 tractor, a toy Rudolph and some new books.  And you promised to leave Santa some milk and cookies.  It was so cute.  Then you used your crayons to decorate your letter.  You really took your time and worked hard on it, and I know Santa appreciated all the work. 

We then put it in an envelope and put it in the mail for Santa.  Even the mailman thought it was sweet. 

Although this year is only your fourth Christmas, I think this one will go down as one of my favorite Christmases ever.  Your enthusiasm and happiness over the season was contagious, and I know that your Christmas spirit really helped raise mine. 

Thank you for all of these wonderful memories little boy.

We love you,
Mommy and Daddy