Last week, all of the reporters at the paper spent hours typing up letters to Santa from all the elementary schools in the area.

We typed hundreds of letters getting them ready to run in the Christmas Eve paper.

Some of the letters were adorable and we couldn’t help but laugh about the endearing requests of these kids.

Some asked for simple things like clothes and shoes, while others really wanted Santa to bring it all.

They wanted iPads and iPods, new phones, tablets, go-carts, four-wheelers, dirt bikes, cars and more. Who wouldn’t, right?

These kids’ imaginations were bright, and they surely did dream big.

But through the Playstation’s and Xbox’s, a few letters really stuck out to me.

Some of these kids only wanted the necessities in life. They didn’t ask for fancy new electronics or a go-cart. They asked for jackets, socks, shoes and more.

Not everyone is lucky enough to have those items on hand at all times, and some kids simply want help from an outside source — Santa.

Santa didn’t only have his hands full with those requests. Along with clothes, some children asked for a mom or a dad, or even for their parents to get back together.

I don’t know the circumstances that these children are in, but it was truly heartbreaking to see kids really dig deep and ask for things that cannot be bought.

Material things come and go, but the love that you have for your friends and family can stay a lifetime.

I hope this Christmas and New Year’s everyone was able to stop and take a minute to realize how blessed they truly are.

Selma and Dallas County are lucky to have a program like the Salvation Army that is willing to provide material things for less fortunate children during the holiday season.

Although they cannot provide all of the requests, they made sure to provide for every single angel from this year’s angel tree.

That’s nearly 600 children that were able to open up gifts on Christmas because people in this community stepped up.

I had the opportunity to cover the progress of the angel tree and the Red Kettle Drive this year, and I can’t speak enough about how impressed I am with this community and how much everyone stepped up to the plate and did what they could for others.

It warms my heart to think about the children opening up their gifts on Christmas and how excited they must have been.

With 2014 behind us, I hope each of you had a great Christmas and New Year’s.

I know 2015 is going to be a great year for Selma.