【推荐1】“Let’s go see Santa!” Samantha said, pointing．

I shrugged. I found out long ago that the real Santa doesn’t hang out in malls. He’s always too busy checking his list for kids twice and supervising the elves (小精灵)．

Last year, “Santa” had a tattoo on his arm. I pretended I didn’t notice and named all the toys I ever wanted, until he was about to kick me out. I like playing around with fake Santas．

We joined the line and after what seemed like ages, it was our turn. Samantha’s eyes were glowing with excitement as she listed her wishes. She went back to Mom and Dad with a delighted smile and some candies．

I sat on Santa’s lap and moved from side to side to get comfortable. He made a face. “Have you been good this year? Ho! Ho!”

“Oh, yes! I played nicely with my sister, obeyed my parents, and teachers are fond of me.”

A suspicious smile appeared on his jolly face. “What would you like for Christmas, my boy?” “Santa, I want a new teacher for Christmas.”

He got a little surprised and looked at me. “Don’t you want any new games, or a baseball mitt (手套)?”

“No. I want a new teacher who doesn’t give too much homework. I don’t have time to play anyway, with all those assignments I’m getting.”

It was worth waiting in line just to see the look on his face. He gave me a coloring book and a Christmas sticker. Just before I left, he pulled me closer and said in a low tone, “I’ll make sure Miss Coleman makes your wish come true.”

How did he ... that voice ... “Mr. Principal?”

I guess sometimes wishes do come true. I had a lighter workload until June!

【推荐3】An empowering project is offering kids who have spent a long time in the hospital the chance to show how heroic they truly are.

The For The Win Project is a series of superhero movie posters starring kids with serious medical conditions and illnesses. It's co-work between photographer Jaimie Trueblood and creative director Jesse Wilson. They bring cameras, costumes and lighting into Los Angeles-area hospitals to give these little patients their very own photo shoots.

Once they've finished the photography and design, Jaimie and Jesse print out full-size, movie theater quality posters and get signatures (签名) and videos from Hollywood stars like Stan Lee and Carrie Fisher.

For a little girl named Noah, who wanted to be Darth Vader for her poster, the creators arranged for a Darth Vader character to present the finished piece.

“One of the highlights of the evening was when we projected the celebrity videos,” Jaimie said. “There were many happy tears. Noah gave everyone tons of hugs (拥抱), but the moment I will always remember was when things were winding down, Noah grabbed my hand, looked up to me and said it was the most amazing night ever.”

“We want to remind these kids every time they look at their poster that inside them there's a hero with the strength to fight whatever battles they may face,” Jesse said.

Jaimie and Jesse drew inspiration for the project from the story of Batkid, as well as their own children. The creative director had a different opinion of life and people after going through some health problems, losing family members and watching his own son struggle to survive in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit).

The photographer has spent years donating gifts and volunteering his time at children's hospitals in Los Angeles. “I try to keep in touch with as many families as I can, and one of them passed away this Thanksgiving. It was a reality check that really hurt, but gives us even more reason to do what we're doing and make these kids happy for whatever time they have left,” Jaimie said.