Wednesday’s edition of the Chieftain will be filled with the holiday spirit, thanks largely to our annual “Letters to Santa” feature, which will take up the entire second section of the paper.

Those letters always are a blast to read — and, if you find that you’re having a hard time getting into the holiday swing, these letters should help you get over the hump.

So I’m still undecided what to do with Wednesday’s “Voice of the Chieftain” editorial. I have plenty of ideas for editorials, but I’m wondering if I should turn the space over this week to the most famous letter ever written to a newspaper — and the classic editorial that letter prompted.

Back in 1897, 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon wrote The New York Sun, saying that her little friends were telling her that Santa didn’t exist. Her father told her to write The Sun, because if it appeared in The Sun, it had to be true. (I know what you’re thinking; stop it.)

Virginia’s letter was answered by Sun editorial writer Francis Pharcellus Church, and his response is arguably the most famous newspaper editorial ever. Here’s a passage from the piece:

Here’s a reminder about that: As part of that effort, I’d like to share stories from Chieftain readers about their biggest news from 2023. If you’re willing to share a few words about big happenings in your world during the past 12 months, email them to me at either editor@wallowa.com or mmcinally@wallowa.com. Please keep them to 250 words or less and send them to me by the end of the day on Wednesday, Dec. 20.

My goal is to publish at least some of them in the print edition; all of them will appear on our website, wallowa.com.

In the meantime, the Chieftain still has plenty of stories from 2023 to report and cover. Here’s a look at the stories we’re working on that could appear in this Wednesday’s edition — or might already be online on our website:

I mentioned last week that the regional reporting team I lead has finished its first major story, an overview about the regional shortage of workforce housing and how communities are starting to attack the issue. I had planned to run the story in last week’s print edition, but ran out of room. It will appear in this week’s print edition, but already is online at wallowa.com.

Reporter Bill Bradshaw will have a short story, with photos, from this year’s Fair Lights display at the Wallowa County Fairgrounds; the display is on view through Tuesday, Dec. 26.

Bradshaw also has a story about Eagle Cap Mountain Guides, which offers backcountry skiing tours for hardy souls of intermediate or advanced skiing expertise.

You also can read about a big honor for Jaxon Grover of the Joseph Charter School football team: Grover has been named the defensive player of the year in the 1A 6-man ranks. 

All of this is part of the Chieftain’s efforts to cover Wallowa County news to the best of our ability. As always, if you have a comment or question about the Chieftain, or want to suggest a story idea, email me at editor@wallowa.com or mmcinally@wallowa.com. 

If you haven’t already, take a moment to register your subscription for digital access of the Chieftain. Call 541-963-3161 to talk to a member of our customer service staff, who will be happy to walk you through the process. It’s easy, takes just a few moments to get set up and allows you to take advantage of our e-edition, app and website delivery along with your print subscription.

Finally, let me take this opportunity to once again thank the Chieftain’s subscribers: It would be impossible for us to do this vital work without your support.  

Mike McInally is the editor of the Wallowa County Chieftain. You can email him at editor@wallowa.com or mmcinally@wallowa.com.