MITCHELL: Time to put a little magic in a child’s life

As we get older, time seems to speed up.

Really, as soon as I pack away the Christmas lights, it is time to drag them out again.

Thanksgiving, for all intents and purposes, has become a dress rehearsal for Christmas.

And by the week before Christmas, too often, I find myself among the hordes of people buying ugly sweaters, robes and pajamas.

One thing I still treasure, however, is the effect the Christmas holiday has on children.

All you need do is mention Christmas and Santa — their eyes light up and they become the nicest, most obedient children ever born.

Children aren’t children for long. The window of childhood lowers so quietly, many of us miss the golden moments. A child’s wide-eyed belief in Santa and his helpers is one of them.

Frankly, the lie about Santa Claus used to gnaw at my spirit.

But now, well, I get it.

I love the idea that somewhere, even in neighborhoods scarred by disappointment and wracked by violence, there are children who believe in this bit of Christmas lore.

Every child deserves a bit of that magic no matter what a family’s economic condition happens to be.

The Chicago Sun-Times family tries to do its part to make that happen every year through its participation in the “Letters to Santa” program.

It is our way of helping to provide Christmas gifts for children between pre-K and third grade from low-income families.

There are many such gift-giving programs, but “Letters to Santa” gives you a peek into the lives of a young child still able to believe:

“Dear Santa:

How [are] you? How’s Ms. [Claus] doing?” asks an 8-year-old letter writer from a Chicago Public School on the Southwest Side.

“Santa I want some Legos. I have been listening in school and I do my best in my work. I also want a new warm jacket. I have been wearing my jacket and it isn’t warm in the winter. I want some more Legos because I need to combine those [two] Legos to make a brilliant thing,” the boy said.

Another letter writer, a girl in the second grade, addressed her letter to “Santa’s Helper.”

“I hope your family is healthy and happy. I wish Santa brings you the gift you wish for this Christmas. This year, I have been a good girl. I help my mother clean the house and I’m not always on the phone.

She wants a L.O.L Surprise Doll, Legos and a cute pink purse.

“I wish I could meet you one day and take [a] selfie with you so I can see it everyday. Your Friend,” is how she ended her letter.

The most difficult part of the Letters to Santa program is settling on a letter or two. These children’s voices will pierce your heart.

Last year, the Chicago Sun-Times staff bought gifts for 259 students at a CPS school.

Readers donated another $45,000 to the Empty Stocking Fund to buy gifts for children who were missing gifts.

We encourage you to consider contributing to the Empty Stocking Fund so that we may purchase gifts for children whose letters were not selected. The remaining donations would be used to support the Season of Sharing program.

To be one of Santa’s helpers, please go to our website at suntimes.com/santa, call us at (312) 321-3114 or email us at elves@suntimes.com.

Thank you for your continued generosity.

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By the way, the South Shore community will host a 3-day pop-up marketplace in storefronts along 71st Street on the weekend after Thanksgiving, Nov. 24-26.

The event, dubbed “Connect South Shore,” will run from noon to 9:00 p.m. each day and will feature local retailers, artists, musicians and filmmakers.

For more information visit www.connectsouthshore.org.