Letters To Santa: Kids Ask For Jobs For Their Parents

Thousands of children across the country send letters to Santa Claus every year with their Christmas wishes. But lately, some kids' letters have been a lot less whimsical: they want jobs for their parents.

A boy named Michael recently asked Santa to bring a job to his grandfather, reports Robert Samuels in an excellent story for the Miami Herald. Enclosed: grandpa's resume.

The Huffington Post wants to know: Are your kids asking Santa to bring you a job? Are you hoping Santa brings you one? Tell us about it! Email [e-mail].

A 13-year-old asked Santa to bring his mom some new clothes, reported Florida TV station WPLG on Thursday. A volunteer read the letter aloud: "There's only my mom's paycheck and it completely goes into rent and bills so we don't become homeless. Her car is old and broken."

The Chicago Sun-Times runs a program every year that allows readers to respond to needy kids' letters to Santa with a gift. This year, in a response to a story about a family whose 4-year-old daughter asked Santa for pajamas and a Touch and Feel book, a generous couple took the entire family on a shopping spree -- in a limo.

Comments

[shirleyfeeney]

08:18 PM on 12/19/2009

Heartbreak­ing...all of the families going through hardships at this time of year are in my thoughts and prayers. We've taken a significan­t hit financiall­y as well, and I get depressed when I see the few items that will be Christmas presents, but it was all we could do. *sigh*

Here's to hoping that 2010 is better for us all.

[Brian Taylor]

07:13 PM on 12/19/2009

My daughters (ages 2 1/2 and 5 1/2) this Christmas would be praying and asking Santa to get Daddy a job if they understood that was the problem. I've been working very low-paying­, hourly, part time jobs. Recently, my better paying job fired me just three weeks before Christmas.

My other part time job pays me only 7.50hr and is scheduling me 10 hours a week. My wife and I reciently separated. Her condition for us getting back together is that I get a full time jobb, and that we move to a place large enough to fit our family. It's a reasonable request; I'm just having trouble making it happen.

My kids ask me almost daily why we don't live together anymore. So yes, I think my kids would pray and ask for Santa to get Mommy and Daddy back together. If they understood that a big part of the problem was employment­; they'd pray and also ask Santa for that too. I would be happy if I could afford more than one very modest present under the tree for my daughters. I know I'm not likely getting anything for Christmas from my family, my wife or her family, and I don't really have any friends. All that is ok, I'm fine with that; All I want is to provide for my family and get my wife and kids back. There are some things you just can't put in a box and wrap with paper.

[whoknew---]

08:12 PM on 12/19/2009

Brian, I hope the best for your situation, don't you ever give up.

A lot of kind folks here will take the time just hear other folks troubles and maybe sometimes we're here just for all of us together good or bad times.

All I can tell you is that when bad things happen I usually start with plan "a" and if plan "a" doesn't work then there's plan "b" and if that doesn't work I just go until something happens. I have learned to be pretty creative because I grew up really poor and even though I doing a little better than that now I don't take anything for granted.

Don't worry about presents, just worry about having the best time with your kids, they grow up faster than a blink of an eye...

Merry Christmas Brian

p.s. can't give you anything but how about being fanned for being so brave and laying it out like you did.

[shirleyfeeney]

08:19 PM on 12/19/2009

Hang in there, and take it one day at a time. There is no parenting handbook, and I've been there myself.

Sending good thoughts your way...

[Charlie Forquer]

04:35 PM on 12/19/2009

My children have jobs...I'M asking Santa to find me a job!

[Vxx]

02:44 PM on 12/19/2009

This is 'so sad' ... I'd recommend they take copies of all the letters and dump them on the corporate executives and people who think the definition of corporatio­n is just fine: "screw the community, maximize my wallet".

But their hearts make the Grinch look like a community leader.

[AlexFTW]

11:27 AM on 12/19/2009

Maybe they can get a job to for to write the headlines here. I think a dog would do a better job.

[blastocyst]

11:13 AM on 12/19/2009

Hungry? Out of work?
We can eat our imported flat-scree­n TVs, all of the electronic gadgets we so love, our clothing, our imported cars. (read this; I didn't disparage anything being built HERE)

Foolishly we've given away the making of these consumable­s for less-than-­a-song.
It's doubtful that Santa Claus subcontrac­ted Indian, Chinese and Vietnamese children to displace his hardworkin­g cadre of loyal Elves.

[jws2346]

12:24 PM on 12/19/2009

Yeah, I tried the TV thing, but my microwave don't allow metal

[iamvalid]

11:12 AM on 12/19/2009

Ahh yes, but all is well in Republican­ville. It will be even better when the republican­s are able degrade our standard of living to the 1940's. We don't need no stinking progress.

[Vxx]

02:45 PM on 12/19/2009

actually..­.. the middle class may have been better off then - relatively speaking. The actual intent seems to be to return to the 1890s when robber barons were kings of the realm.

[Nancy Haiduck]

05:59 PM on 12/19/2009

yes

[GirlFriday123]

08:24 PM on 12/19/2009

It does seem like we're moving toward that more and more.

[ramal]

11:07 AM on 12/19/2009

It's going to be a "hard candy Christmas" in many American homes this year and probably for many years to come.

[PigsOnSoma]

11:02 AM on 12/19/2009

So why are we continuing to fund wars and destructio­n?

[ramal]

11:07 AM on 12/19/2009

Because "our leaders" don't give a rat's ass about the little people?

[bicarmilla]

07:48 PM on 12/18/2009

This story just breaks my heart. We really need to be helping the charities this season.

Is the my country , the United States in the 21st century or the 1930's?

[DeeDubya]

10:55 AM on 12/19/2009

But the charities end up helping themselves to a part of the proceeds.

Time for people to help their neighbors. NAH, that's asking way too much.

[PigsOnSoma]

11:04 AM on 12/19/2009

Not-for-pr­ofit charities still have to pay payroll - those are jobs for real people too.

[sharonisright]

07:44 PM on 12/18/2009

Kids should get out and work and see what life is all about but because of the child labor laws they can't.

[bicarmilla]

07:49 PM on 12/18/2009

You would warm old Ebeneezer'­s heart.

[BowlingForRevenge]

10:41 AM on 12/19/2009

Sharon YOU are wrong.
But then I think you already knew that.

[leeman79]

06:32 PM on 12/18/2009

It's a sad commentary when our kids are more in tune with what's really happening in this country, than the adults. I'll never forget my son asking me, "Daddy, how come we don't make anything here anymore?"

[swingerofbirches]

08:18 PM on 12/18/2009

I know....fr­om the mouths of babes...it reminds me of when my 3 year old said to me, "Daddy, how come China won't agree to a floating currency?"

[Rachel O]

03:46 PM on 12/19/2009

Hahahaha

[Gymyd]

06:08 PM on 12/18/2009

The jobs issue is very, very regionally skewed. Certain areas are devistated and many areas are flush with open jobs. Unfortunat­ley these days ine must relocate to where the jobs are. In some cases follks aren't willing to do that. That is a choice they make and should be taken out of the jobless numbers. Gotta go where the jobs are if you really want one.

[greatblue]

06:25 PM on 12/18/2009

How are they supposed to sell their house when nobody can get a mortgage to buy it?

[factotem]

10:58 AM on 12/19/2009

And that's just a different diaster. People who are mobile are looking in multiple regions and not finding anything,

[garymc8]

05:45 PM on 12/18/2009

I'm flabbergas­ted. I just found my daughter's letter to Santa, asking him if her dad could get a job as a Lobbyist or a Wall street banker, or maybe a CEO @ an HMO? Something that would give him plenty of spare time yet a nasty big bonus at the detriment of the American people's financial health. How embarrassi­ng!

[hypnotoad72]

04:52 PM on 12/18/2009

:(