After checking all the catalogs, then going to all the stores, it's time to write my letter to Santa. I've got a list and it's long with ten or fifteen "I wants". This a big time for me in the other kids in the 50s. Most of the major toys I'll get this coming year, I'll get a Christmas. It's expected that these toys will last, at least, until next Christmas, but maybe years. Sure, I'll get a toy on my birthday and I might be able to talk my Mom into getting me a toy at other times during the year, but nothing really big. Christmas is the biggest supplier. That's why the list is so long.
As I'm writing my letter, Mom tells me to pick out the two or three toys I want the most. The list can be long, but put my most important toys at the top. She tells me I probably won't get all the toys on the list. She says the elves in Santa's workshop at the North Pole can only make so many toys during the year. The supply is not unlimited. I might not get one of the important toys because another kid wanted it more. For example, I really want a cowboy outfit. It's number three on my list. But Johnny in Oklahoma wants one too and it's number one on his list. If there's only one left at the North Pole, He would get it because it's number one on his list. Now, I've got a big steel road grader at the top of my list, while Bobby in Oregon has a grader number two on his list. I get the grader.
The list of "I wants" are put in order in my letter. I remind Santa there will be milk and cookies waiting for him when he comes by my house,(A little bribe for more presents. He likes the red trimmed Santa cookies best.) After printing my name at the bottom, I print my address just to make sure he knows where to bring the toys.(He's getting old, you know.) Then, I put the letter in an envelope and address it, "Santa Claus, North Pole" and give it to Mom. She'll make sure it's mailed.