Chip, I sure enjoyed your poem on Month Before Christmas! LOL Also love reading the letters to Santa every year in our local paper in Campbell Co. so I enjoyed those you sent! I wanted to share a Front Page story that a 14 yr. old girl in the Stony Fork area wrote. After reading the story, I found this girl is wise beyond her years, for she already knows what is most important! Bobbie "What I Want for Christmas" Age 14, 9th grader, Stony Fork School It's that time again, Christmas is almost here. Every store is having a sale, the children are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus, and parents are preparing for that special day with their loved ones. Christmas is a day that not all people celebrate. Christmas has always been a special time for me though. All of my family would come to my house Christmas Eve to open gifts, then go to my aunt's house for Christmas dinner. I never realized how special that was to me until Christmas Eve, 1999. I woke up to find it snowing, which I wanted in the first place, but I soon learned that some of my family couldn't make it to my house to open presents because they were snowed in. They live in the Caryville Mountains and the ice was so bad on the roads that it was impossible to travel. My sister, brother-in-law, and niece were able to get across the mountain, but they were the only ones. It was the first time that I had been away from my family on Christmas Eve. I was so sad, but none of my family seemed to notice. I was able to be with them on Christmas, but it still wasn't the same. I decided then that what I will always want for Christmas, is to always be with my family. You can't buy my present at a store, only God can give me that. In April my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer. I felt so empty inside when the doctors told me that dad wouldn't get out of the hospital's ICU. When I looked at the future then, I saw a very sad time for me. The doctors were surprised when dad recovered. About a month and a half ago the doctors told my dad that the cancer was gone. He might have to have precaution treatments, but at least he will be able to be with me on Christmas. God answered my prayers then and I know he will always be with me through everything. What I want doesn't cost anything, but it's priceless. I want material things too, but nothing is as important to me as being with my family. Some people think that the price of a gift is what matters, but the truth is that the thought is what really counts the most. When some of my friends were talking about what they wanted for Christmas, I couldn't help but think that if they would only realize how lucky they are just to be with their family. A lot of my family died when I was very young and I have missed them a lot over the years. I wish I could have just one Christmas with all of them here, but that will never happen. Some people don't realize what they have until it's gone. Christmas isn't my favorite time of year, but it is special to me because Christmas is the day that Jesus was born. People have changed the meaning over the years, but they will never change the fact that Jesus saved us all. I guess Christmas means a lot of different things to me. When I get older and have children, I want them to know everything about Christmas, not just the part about giving gifts to one another. Life is very hard and no one is ever prepared for it. Christmas is a time to forget about what is going on at work or at school to focus on what really matters. I might be young, but I know what I want out of life. Sometimes I might get confused, but God always puts me back on the right path. In conclusion, Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus, be loved, and a time to be with the people you love most. I know my answer doesn't quite fit the question, but there is never a wrong or right answer to what people want for Christmas or any other time of year.