This is the 3rd story in our Dear Santa: Real Questions, Real Answers series where the questions are real, and so are the answers.

“Santa, am I on the Nice List?”

Most children imagine a giant book with NICE on one page and NAUGHTY on the other.

But I would never trust a book that simple with something as important as a child.

At the North Pole, the Nice List is written in pencil. That is because children are still learning, and every new day gives them another chance to make a better choice.

The elves do not write down every mistake. They watch what happens afterward.

Did you tell the truth after doing something wrong?

Did you apologize when you hurt someone?

Did you try again when something was difficult?

Did you help fix what you had broken?

You see, being on the Nice List does not mean being perfect. Even the elves make mistakes, and you should see what happens when one accidentally puts doll shoes on a teddy bear!

The important question is not, “Have I always been good?”

It is, “When I discover that I was wrong, what will I choose to do next?”

The Nice List is written in pencil because no mistake gets to write the ending of your story.