ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS AT SACRED HEART NATIONAL SCHOOL, AUGHRIM

Christmas is coming and in Sacred Heart National School, Aughrim, the children are very excited.

Senior Infants, taught by Fiona McIntyre, Deirdre O’Neill and special needs assistant Jennie Byrne, have been making lots of preparations for the festive season, including decorating their classroom and homes, writing their letters to Santa and rehearsing their Christmas school play.

All this hard work and has certainly ensured that they will all be included on Santa’s ‘nice’ list and can expect a nice surprise on Christmas morning.

At the tender ages of five and six, Christmas certainly is a magical time and the Aughrim children have given a lot of consideration to their Santa lists.

Grace O’Brien was quick to point out that Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus. She is looking forward to the Christmas holidays and hopes to get a surprise from Santa on Christmas morning.

Lily Mai Duffy is also in the market for a surprise present but Cayden Flusky and Liam Dowling have requested bicycles from the man in the red suit. Peadar Keegan can’t wait for Santa to come and says it’s the best part of Christmas while Isabelle Kinsella hopes to get a flicker surprise just like her cousin has. For Kyle Juste, a toy quad is top of his list which he will be able to drive when he is bigger. Wheels are also on Kyle Keegan’s mind and he wants his very own dune buggy. Kyle has it all worked out and plans to leave it in the shed if it snows this Christmas. ‘I’ll be able to drive it down the back lane,’ he said. Ellie Murnane can’t wait to see her auntie and cousins at Christmas and hopes to receive a Baby Annabelle doll which ‘walks and crawls’ from Santa, as well as a new tablet. Technology also makes it onto the list of Eoghan Byrne who has his eye on a PS4. Ana Brennan loves surprises and on her list is a Puppy Surprise and a Cupcake Surprise. However, her favourite thing about Christmas is ‘spending time with family’. Charlie Healy was very organised this year and has already written his letter to Santa. He can’t wait to see what arrives on Christmas morning. However, Charlie has already seen Santa and said that he spied on him at home last year but hid when Santa heard him.

Seán Byrne doesn’t mind the cold weather in December and has even asked for a Frosty Fun toy which makes ice-cream.

‘I also asked for a Soggy Doggy and you have to make sure the dog is all clean or it will shake all over you,’ he said.

Twins Laura and Emma Byrne are lucky because they enjoy the same toys and want the same gifts. They said that ‘Santa knows everything’ and won’t have any trouble finding their chimney!

Zoe Evans has already put in her request with the man himself in Lawless’s Hotel and in Wells House, to be sure. She hopes to get a swimming dog and plans to take it to a real swimming pool.

Fia Doyle plans to be a dab hand in the kitchen and make some Christmas cookies. She says she loves helping her mum do the cooking and hopes to get a Generation Doll kitchen.

Tom Clancy saw Santa in Arklow and was told that he is definitely on the ‘nice’ list. He hopes to receive a Lego set.

Matthew Cullen can’t wait for Christmas to arrive and says he wants to wake up his whole family to see Santa on Christmas Eve.

Abbie Byrne is thinking about the reindeer and like last year, will be putting out reindeer food with her brother. ‘My mam saw a star and we knew that it was Santa after we put the food out,’ Abbie said.

Jake Lynch is another Lego fan and will be leaving out milk for Santa and a carrot for Rudolph.

Sophie O’Loughlin is opting for the mince pie treat for Santa and hopes he will leave her a secret diary which she can set with a ‘password that nobody will know’.

Connor Quinn wants a Sonic game and said that he and his sister had great fun putting up the decorations at home.

Lego is also on the list for Michael Reeves and he has a direct line to Santa through his uncle, as he explains.

‘I already saw Santa at the co-op where my Uncle John works. He knows Santa as well,’ Michael said.

Hugo Sheehan can’t wait for his mum to pick up the reindeer dust this year, and says that it is this magical dust that brings the reindeer to his house.

He hopes to get some Lego and will be leaving out a mince pie for Santa.

Liverpool FC fan Cillian Maher will be getting two goals and nets so he can practice his football and says he also has asked Santa for an Xbox.

Aideen Fanning is a fan of Doc McStuffins and hopes to get the ‘Doc Mobile’ as well as a secret safe diary.

She also knows how Santa will find his way to Aughrim. ‘He will follow Rudolph’s big red nose,’ Aideen said.

Lola Hearn knows that boys and girls must be asleep so that Santa can leave the presents and said that she will pretend to be sleeping if she hears Santa’s sleigh.

The nationwide Hatchimals trend has also come to Aughrim and Sinead McDonald Healy and Ruby Mae McDonald are hoping to receive them. ‘ They are a toy that you play with and it hatches out of an egg. Then you have to pet it,’ Sinead said.

Ruby Mae said that they are not scary at all once they have hatched.

JJ Quigley wants Santa to leave him a PS4 but said if Santa gets stuck in the chimney that he won’t be helping him out!

Lily Stapleton wants an Art Generation doll which she can dress up and style with different clothes. She isn’t worried about Santa getting lost because ‘ he knows everything’.

Conor O’Neill Hughes could be an up and coming chef as he wants to help his mum make the Christmas dinner but doesn’t want to eat any Brussels sprouts.

Ryan Killilea wants to get his hands on a smart TV and GTA5 but says he can only play it with the volume down! ‘I also have to get new wifi for upstairs,’ he added.

Conor O’Neill Haggins and Ali Gunning both want surprises on Christmas morning and Conor said if he hears Santa, he will ‘jump straight into bed’.

Josh Keogh and Tadhg Hennessy can’t wait to meet Santa and give him their lists and both boys said they plan to be ‘very good’ as Christmas approaches!