Found Magazine's Holiday Finds

When I was a kid, my relationship with Santa was pretty average. Once a year, I’d sit down and write a letter to the guy I imagined from the Rudolph special. It was a time of soul-searching. Had I really been good? What’s good anyway? I’d write my list and then cross my fingers and hope for the best.

Things are more complicated today. At least that’s the conclusion I came to after reading some misplaced Santa letters collected by the folks at FOUND Magazine. Readers send random photos, letters, notes or other personal ephemera found on the ground, or bus, or anywhere to FOUND for publication.

Davy Rothbart is the creator and editor of FOUND, and we caught him on his cellphone to tell us more about these unexpected discoveries, including a letter that a mother wrote to Santa on behalf of her kids, and a hand-drawn sketch of something called "vampire Santa."

Plus, the season of giving is upon us. Still, when New Hampshire reporter Sean Hurley heard that one of his neighbors was giving away Christmas trees, he wanted to find out more. He discovered a more nuanced story than he originally guessed. Turns out, while his neighbor’s charity was a very public act – letting people wander over his property to find and cut down one of his trees – it was also a very private affair.

(Photo FOUND by Francesco Tabiadon in Pordenone, Italy)