In my short journalism career, I have already worked at five different newspapers as a full-time employee. But regardless of where I was working, each of those papers had one thing in common. They all published local children’s letters to Santa Claus.

I am happy to say that The Atmore Advance is no exception to this rule. There are few things more innocent and touching than getting the chance to see what dwells in the minds of our bright young people. Of course there are going to be misspelled words and handwriting that would require a secret agent to decipher, but that is part of the sweet charm.

I would think even the most hardened of Scrooges or Grinches would have their heart melt after reading some of the letters that our local children have written to Santa. They not only ask for toys — I have to admit, I had never heard of “Skylanders SWAP Force” until I read it on every other letter that was sent in this year. They also ask for things for others, including gifts for their brother and sister or even their parents. How sweet.

I also love it when they take the time to ask Santa a question or see how he’s doing. They love to ask how Mrs. Claus and the reindeer are doing, and tell him that they’re going to leave out milk and cookies for him and carrots and oats for the reindeer. And although “Elf on the Shelf” wasn’t around when I was a kid at Christmas, it’s definitely common nowadays. Just about every kid asked Santa if he knew their elf or had talked to their elf.

If you have the time, check out today’s edition starting on Page 7A to read these adorable missives. If they can’t make your “Bah Humbug” go away, then I don’t know what will.

• I know that this won’t interest a lot of our readers, but I’d just like to take a little time to congratulate Notre Dame men’s soccer coach Bobby Clark and the national champion Fighting Irish. It’s always a source of pride to see my alma mater win a national title, even if it’s not in an overly popular sport. It’s also extra special to me, because the men’s soccer team was the first sports beat that I covered when I started writing for the Notre Dame student newspaper, The Observer.

The first thing I remember about coach Clark was his strong Scottish accent. The second thing I remember is he was always very nice to me and very cooperative with the media. I could tell that he truly loved soccer and helping young people succeed, and I think it’s wonderful that he got a chance to win both his first national title — and Notre Dame’s first men’s soccer national title — this year. It’s a wonderful thing when good things happen to good people, and from all accounts coach Clark is one of those good people.