My dear little Princess has been a bit of a - ummmm - challenge lately. Bad manners, rude, interrupting, whiney, hitting her brother, bad choices all around, etc. I try not to play the Santa card, but every now and then, I have to. For the first time this year, I pulled her aside and said “Princess, you are NOT making good choices! And Santa is WATCHING you! What do you think HE’LL think about how you’re behaving? Do you think he likes this behavior?”
She responded with quivering lip “No. I’ll try harder to make good choices because I don’t want coal!!!”
The very next day a letter arrived in the mail - it was addressed to me, in a child’s handwriting. I opened it and inside was a letter to Dude. It read:
“Dear Dude. You are on my good list. SC”
I gave it to him while he was sitting at the counter next to Princess. He of course beamed and beamed even more when she asked him what it said.
Then Princess looked at me with her humonstrous blinking blue eyes and said in the tiniest little voice ever ”Did I get one?”
Nope - no you did not get one. I’m sorry.
I must say, her behavior since then has been nothing but STELLAR!
Yes, I recognized the return address . . . no I did not request the letter . . . it was totally unexpected . . . yet very much appreciated 
OMG…I can’t even imagine how disappointed she must have been or how bad she must have felt. At the same time, we all need a wake up call now and then to put us back on the right track. I’m sure this was her wake up call and that she will work very hard to be very good. I love all of you sooooo much!! Mom
This was so good! I may need to try that for Taylor!
Wow!! That is good!! I try not to pull the Santa card either, but boy does it work!!
That was great! I may have to try that around here and see what happens…