A Christmas story: Fort Myers Classrooms Show True Holiday Magic

Today, I went on a literary adventure that involved two Fort Myers schools.  I read to a spirited group of second-graders at Manatee Elementary School, and a lively bunch of fourth-graders at Three Oaks Elementary School. My mission? To read them a Christmas story. Spoiler alert: mission accomplished, and it was the highlight of my holiday season.

The book in question was a little gem titled "How Santa Got His Job." Now, if you're thinking this is just another heartwarming tale about the man in the red suit, you're partially correct. But let me tell you, this story packed a punch of wisdom for me more than anything.

As I flipped through the pages of this Christmas story, the kids were hooked. They hung onto every word, their eyes widening with wonder as they got an inside look at the magical origin of Santa's previous employment. Trust me... You haven't lived until you've discussed Santa's resume with a room full of curious second graders.

The highlight of the day? The barrage of questions about the man in the big red suit. The pictures of young Santa in the story showed that he had red hair. "I have red hair too." I told the kids. Some of them eyed me suspiciously, their little detective minds working overtime. "Is he Santa?" they whispered, as if cracking the code of some Christmas mystery. I couldn't help but laugh a good "Ho Ho HO!" at their adorable curiosity.

At the end of the story, the book drops a truth bomb... No job is perfect. As I wrapped up my reading and Marveled at the joy these kids got from a simple story... It hit me. Maybe my job isn't flawless, but it's pretty darn close, especially when you consider the huge smiles beaming from those pint sized believers.

Look, if you ever doubt the magic of the season, just spend an afternoon with a bunch of kids convinced you might be the real Santa. It's the kind of holiday cheer you can't buy... But it's the best gift I could ever receive.

Everyone has a favorite Christmas movie. A movie that you just have to see every year. One that you could watch over and over again. However, Florida's favorite Christmas movies might surprise you. Most of them are considered to be outliers. Spoiler alert, "Home Alone," that Macaulay Culkin classic does not appear in the top ten for Floridians. Even more disturbing is the fact that a horror movie was among the most popular holiday movie in Tennessee and Michigan. It's called "Violent Night."

I don't know about you, but I see enough near violence in shopping center parking lots this time of year. Not interested in watching tinsel slashings on the television. For me, I really look forward to some of the classic cartoons like "Frosty The Snowman," "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas," and "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer." They are nostalgic and remind me of childhood. I do love the current version of The Grinch with Jim Carey as well as "Elf" with Will Ferrell.

Back to the rankings. They come from Looper. Their experts found a 300% increase in Google searches for ‘best Christmas movies’ in the past month. In addition, there has been a 130% increase in demand for ‘best Christmas movies streaming.’ So first, they looked into IMBb’s list of best Christmas movies of all time. Next, they analyzed Google search trends data. Finally, they took all the data and compiled a list of  the most searched-for holiday movie in every U.S. state.

Here is another spoiler alert. None were the sappy Hallmark Christmas movies. There were a couple of surprises for me. Here is one. The Rankin-Bass stop-motion class "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" did not rank in Florida. However, it dominates searches in the Midwest. You can find the entire report here.

Florida's favorite Christmas movies might surprise you. Here are the top five.

This film actually won three Academy Awards. It's another one to reel in the cynics. In it, a man named Kris Kringle fills in for the Macy's Santa Claus who shows up drunk for the Thanksgiving Day parade. He claims to be the real Santa and ends up in court defending both his mental health and his claims. Of course there are a few glimmers of miracles that continue to occur.