Some things about Christmas haven’t changed in the last 75 years. Reindeer still pull Santa’s sleigh and, when there’s a chimney on the house, that’s the way Santa gets inside.

What he carries in his sack, however, is light years away from several decades ago. Just take a peek at letters Jane Hamilton’s mother, Margaret Willis, and her twin brother, Marvin, wrote in 1933 — and then listen to what Margaret’s great-granddaughters want today.

Margaret Willis was one of seven girls; Marvin was the only boy in the family. They lived at Prairie, Miss., and wrote their letters on Dec. 16, 1933. Santa never got them, for their sister Evelyn intercepted the mail, saved the letters and they were found last year in a box of special items after Evelyn died.

Margaret was as anxious about Christmas as children are today, and she began her letter, “I’ll be glad when you come down the chimney to see me.” She asked for “a doll trunk, a good pretty fountain pen, a pair of socks and a pretty bracelet.” She thanked him for what he had brought the year before but then registered a complaint: “My scarf was too little. I did not get much wear out of it.” Her instructions about the fountain pen, “good pretty,” were underlined.

She also asked Santa not to forget her parents, her sisters and Marvin and ended with, “I love you lots.”

Marvin started his letter by telling Santa he was not asking for much and said, “I thank you for the presents you brought me last year. This Christmas, I want you to bring me a base ball glove, a pump rifle, fire works, roman candle, sparklers, fruit, nuts, candy.” He signed the letter, “Your boy, Marvin.”

Compare Margaret’s wish list to that of her great-granddaughter, 8-year-old Mallory Williamson of West Point, Miss. She wants a cell phone and a board game called Battleship and, as Margaret’s scarf was too small in 1933, so was the bicycle Santa brought Mallory last year, so she’s asking for a bigger one this Christmas.

Mallory’s 6-year-old cousin Rivers Brackett, who lives in Jackson, wants an iDog, made by Apple, that dances to music, and she also wants a real rabbit. She’d also like a video game console called a Wii. Last year, she said, she got some surprises — things she didn’t ask for.

To make sure Santa and his reindeer can find where the girls live, they sprinkle a trail of magic dust that leads to their houses. It’s a mixture of glitter, to mark the trail, and oats for the animals to eat. Once they get there, they can feast on carrots while chocolate chip cookies and milk are left for Santa.

With so many children to keep an eye on — to see who’s been naughty and who’s been nice — Santa employs some help. At Rivers’ house, an elf watches her, and she never knows from day to day where he’ll be because he moves from room to room.

One thing that hasn’t changed over the years is the true spirit of Christmas, as illustrated in Marvin’s letter and by activities of Mallory’s classmates. She and her fellow third-graders give gifts for the poor and also send gifts to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

In 1933, Marvin Willis concluded his letter by asking Santa not to forget his mother and father and his seven sisters — “and all the little orphan children.”

*

Mallory and Rivers are the great-nieces of Jane Hamilton, who owns the letters written by her mother and uncle.

Gordon Cotton is an author and historian who lives in Vicksburg.