A Christmas wish for Santa

Every year, millions of children whisper their Christmas wishes into Santa’s ear.

But what does the jolly old elf himself want for Christmas?

“I was just thinking about all the kids that sit on Santa’s lap and I thought, ‘I bet they don’t ever think to ask what Santa wants,’” said Lee Ray of Coeur d’Alene.

Lee and her husband, Bob, often walk the Silver Lake Mall to get a little exercise. Lee said they recently visited with Santa when he had a few minutes of down time between taking photos with kiddos.

“We were talking about the kids and I said, ‘I want to know what Santa wants for Christmas,’” Lee said. “His mouth dropped open and his eyes got wide, and he said, ‘You are the first person to ever ask what Santa wants.’ I couldn’t believe it! I thought, ‘Oh my gosh.’ It’s a good learning lesson.”

Curious about Santa’s wish list, Lee leaned in and asked, “What does Santa want?”

“He very shyly said, ‘World peace,’” she said. “Isn’t that something?”

On Saturday, there Santa was in the center of the mall, happily greeting kids of all ages and taking note of every doll and game that North Idaho’s kids desire.

Kari Zocher, 5, of Coeur d’Alene, said she knows Santa likes dessert, but maybe he would want something to get around on Christmas Eve a little faster.

“He would ask for some kind of cool little car,” she said.

Perhaps one with enough room for eight reindeer?

“Yeah, that’s the one that I’m talking about,” she said with a big smile.

Phoebe Fiacco, 7, of Coeur d’Alene, asked Santa for a Pikmi pop (a big lollipop filled with little plush animals) and a Scruff-a-Luv (a cute stuffed animal with big eyes).

When asked what she would give Santa, Phoebe said she’d give him “maybe like a little elf hat, and maybe a little picture.”

She said she would like to say thanks to Santa for all that he does.

“The Christmas spirit makes it for him,” she said.

Her little sister, Lola, 5, asked Santa for a bow and arrow. She said she would give Santa something to keep him warm.

“A red scarf that has little pom-poms at the end,” she said.

Phoebe and Lola’s mom and dad, Myra and Nick, had a few other ideas for how they would share their Christmas joy with the big guy in red.

“A new pair of Chuck Taylors,” Nick said.

“A vacation for afterwards, which is what I want,” Myra said with a laugh.

Lee said her visit with Santa helped serve as a reminder of how important it is to think about people other than yourself and your own family during the holiday season and to remember people like the mail carriers, the Salvation Army bell-ringers and the volunteers out in the community.

“Be nice to people that don’t expect it,” she said. “There’s so much doom and gloom in the news and around the world. We need little blips like this, little vignettes of life to put a smile on someone’s face.”

Santa will be in the mall from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Christmas Eve.

After that, he’s off to spread the magic of Christmas around the world.