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Santa means different
things to different families

The business of being Santa is not an exact science. Is he supposed to wrap the presents or not? Does he eat cookies or feed carrots to his reindeer? If a stocking stuffer is too big to fit in the stocking, where does it go?

At one house we know of, gifts from Santa are never wrapped. They just sit there near the stockings, the first to be seen on Christmas morning. And speaking of the stockings, Santa always puts something special in the toe.

At another house, Santa's gifts are wrapped in special Santa paper that no one else gets to use. And at another, Santa runs a ribbon from the stocking, through the house to the place outside where the special gift is hidden.

When you're a kid, Santa's habits are sacred. Then you grow up, have kids and suddenly the wife says, "Don't use that paper, that's Santa's paper."

So anyway, how does Santa come to your house? We're collecting family traditions regarding the big guy with the dimples so merry, the nose like a cherry (is that even what your Santa looks like?).

Here are some kick-off questions to get you started:

How does Santa find out what your kids want?

Where does he leave the gifts? Are there rules about what goes in the stockings?

Do you leave treats for him or his reindeer and what happens to them?

How does he get in the house, since you probably don't have a chimney?

We want to hear from adults and kids, about Christmases present and past. Send your stories, in two to 20 paragraphs, to: Santa, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802; or fax 523-8509, or e-mail features@starbulletin.com.

Deadline is Dec. 15. We'll run the stories Christmas week.