Dear Santa

Most residents of the southwest coast believe they are a little too old to write a letter to Santa. Maybe that's because most of what they would be wishing for won't fit under a Christmas tree.

But imagine if local residents did sit down with a cup of hot cocoa to write one of those letters headed to the North Pole. It's likely that some of the requests would repeat, just like the younger residents of the region ask for the same toys as all their friends.

One of the more common requests to the man in the red suit is sure to be more hometown jobs. In their letters to Santa, more than a few little ones asked to have Mom, Dad or another relative home for the holidays. Many of the people who must leave family and the comfort of home would certainly like nothing better than to find worthwhile work in their home province.

Santa would likely get many letters asking for roads better cleared of ice and snow in the winter. Well, the letters would probably ask for better winters, but if Santa and the elves couldn't manage that, 24-hour snow clearing in the area would be good too.

That request is sure to rank high of the lists of anyone who has to travel the highway to get to work, make it to medical appointments in Corner Brook or those who would like to make their Christmas visiting rounds a little safer.

Some of the letters sent to Mr. Kringle would ask for dialysis services in Port aux Basques. Others are certain to ask for new gulf ferries - a gift that could be shared with the entire southwest coast and beyond.

Still others would ask Santa to bring the some signage to warn people of the potential dangers of Wreckhouse winds. Perhaps one or two letters, likely from the municipal leaders in the area, would ask for a sensible resolution to the waste management issues plaguing the region.

No doubt, however, that all the letters would end by asking Santa for health, peace and joy for all the residents of the southwest coast. That's a Christmas wish that The Gulf News would certainly include for all its readers and supporters.

Merry Christmas.

editor@gulfnews.ca