Papa Noel, we have some questions. Letters written in Spain before the New Year.

Every December in Spain, the same thing happens. Adults discuss gifts, prices, and traffic jams, while children calmly sit down, grab a piece of paper, and write letters to Papa Noël that the whole country then laughs at.

Because while adults ask for "a little more patience," children ask for specifics.

For example, one child in northern Spain asked Papa Noël not for a car or a PlayStation, but simply:

"For Daddy to swear less in traffic jams."

The mayor's office published the letter as an example of the Christmas spirit, and half the country nodded silently—they recognized the situation.

Letters from other cities followed. Some asked for a quieter home, especially during dinner. Some asked for their parents to look at their phones less while talking to them. Still others wrote briefly and without further explanation:

"I don't want a gift.

I want us to have dinner together more often." In Catalonia, a child asked Papa Noël to intervene in family diplomacy and make sure his brother stops "telling his parents everything." In Castile, he asked his mother to stop saying "everything is too expensive." In the Valencian Community, he asked his grandmother to worry less about everyone.

One boy was worried about his grandfather and asked that he smile more often again. Another wrote that his dad would work less and come home earlier. A third took a philosophical approach:

"I want adults to walk more slowly."

And someone even took on the impossible, asking:

"That no one be alone at Christmas."

Municipalities publish such letters every year because they make the best New Year's content: no politics, no scandals, but absolutely grounded in reality. Adults laugh in the comments, and then suddenly write: "Can we sign a letter like that too?"

Because these requests are not whimsical, only honest observations. Children aren't asking for a perfect world. They simply ask for a quieter home, kinder adults, and a more authentic holiday.

And to round out this collection, every December in Spain they remember the same kind joke—almost official.

A joke about Papa Noel

A child writes to Papa Noel:

"This year I've been good...

Well, almost good.

Okay, let's do it this way:

you bring a gift now,

and I'll try in January."