From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Dec. 24, 1988:

• A sneak peek at Santa’s mailbag at the Lawrence post office gave a clue to what Lawrence youngsters were putting on their wish lists this year. In their letters, some of which were printed on a word processor or illustrated by pictures cut out from catalog pages, local children included reminders as well as toy suggestions. For example, one letter read: “Dear Santa, I’m trying to be a good boy. These are some of the things I want for Christmas: Magnifying glass — robot — candy — and what ever else you think is best. Don’t forget we are moving to Des Moines next year.” Looking out for his parents, one young correspondent added, “Please give my Momme and Daddy something they like besides socks…. In my Mom and Dad’s stocking please leave a candy cane.” Another letter suggested, “If you bring me presents, I like the ones in the red and green boxes.” One touching letter read: “I wish the war’s would stop and give clouse to the poor people and have peace for onese and for all. I would wish that drug’s would stop being selld. And then the Eaerth would be peaceful like billion’s of year’s ago…. I wish to help the auther’s that’s are poor and hungre new clouse a place to live some money to them thats if I hade one wish.”
• The children might have also been hoping for a white Christmas, but Don Towns and other employees who staffed the city and county snow-battling brigade were not necessarily making the same wish. As an employee of the county’s public works department, Towns had been driving a plow for each of the previous four winters. “I’d rather it not snow this weekend, but after Christmas it would be fine,” he said today.
• President-elect Bush today chose former Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole to be his labor secretary. Mrs. Dole, the wife of Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole, R-Kan., would be the first woman appointed to the Bush cabinet.