Letters to Santa Contest winner and runners up

The winner of Winter Park-Maitland Observer’s inaugural Letters to Santa contest is 9-year-old Macie McCully from Winter Park.

Macie rode in a convertible right in front of the float carrying Santa Claus during Saturday’s Winter Park Christmas parade. She also received Winter in the Park tickets and a Polar Express gift basket. Thanks to our contest sponsors, Maitland Public Library, Winter Park Chamber of Commerce and city of Winter Park.

Here’s her winning entry:

Dear Santa,

The gift I most want to give is for orphans around the world to have a family that loves them and cares for them.

The reason this is the gift I want to give the most is because there are many people who wish to simply love and provide for a child, and it is hard for them to do that given the amount of time and money it takes to adopt a child.

Orphans simply wish to be loved and cared for, and I wish things could be a lot easier on them. All orphans deserve to be happy and lucky just like me!

—Macie McCully

Age 9

Winter Park

Runners up:

Dear Santa,

The gift I most want to give is the gift of friendship. I think that this is a very important gift because people need other reliable people to lean on. They need someone to trust and depend on in hard times. There are a lot of people in the world who are struggling to keep their homes and families. There are even more people in the world who do not even have a home. If they just had another family or person who they were friends with, then that other person could help them come out of their crisis. Friendship can also be used to help stop bullying. All you need is one person to stand up for another and they can be saved.

There is a true story about two people named Lenny and Chris. Lenny was going to commit suicide from bullying and was walking home from school with his books when bullies came and threw down his books. Chris who was a “popular kid” crossed the streets and helped Lenny pick up his books. For once Lenny felt wanted and he didn’t commit suicide. Lenny and Chris became friends and they depended upon each other. Lenny helped Chris with homework and Chris made Lenny feel good. Lenny then started a successful career. That is how powerful friendship is. It saves lives. If people just were able to interact and depend upon other people, great things would happen in the world. People would find their place in the society.

—Sumer Sao

Age 11

Maitland

Dear Santa,

The gift I most want to give is the gift of freedom. Living in America, it can be hard for me sometimes to think that there are people who aren’t as privileged as me and most everyone around me. However, recently in civics class in school, we have been reading about Saudi Arabian women who are comparable to slaves. They can’t drive, they have to wear black head-to-toe abayas, and they have to be obedient to their fathers and husbands all the time. Many women have been trying to protest officials by illegally driving around the capital of Saudi Arabia. I think it is very brave of them to stand up for themselves even though they know that their lives could be in danger. Santa, I think that it is time for these women to be rewarded. Sometimes, I think of all the privileges I have as rights, but reading about the Saudi Arabian women has reminded me to be thankful for my freedom. Santa, please give these women their freedom. I hope you can bring smiles to people all around the world and that you can have a Merry Christmas, too!

—Saumya Sao

Age 13

Maitland

Dear Santa,

The gift I most want to give is JACOB! I am going to give away our baby!

—Noah Talsky, 4, on giving away his little brother Jacob, 2

Orlando