From: Nate McIalwain, Victor of the 2nd Hunger Games, District 2: AU

Santa:

If I was a good boy, get me apple juice.

If I was a GREAT boy, get me lots of apple juice.

If I was a naughty boy, you should still get me apple juice.

I LOVE APPLE JUICE.

Also, uh, just a warning, but I kinda took a lot of Christmas cookies over to Elijah's. So prepare for a very caps-lock letter from him. Sorry, my bad.

So, I think it's a little obvious, but all I need for Christmas this year is apple juice.

Also, I need gift ideas. This year I made all my friends coupon books. Last year I made all my friends coupon books. And the year before that… But I hate coupon books because I have to do lots of chores for people that I don't really want to do. So maybe you could recycle their Christmas lists by putting them under my tree. That'd be nice.

Platinum's so good at finding these nifty gifts for us and all I have to give is a bunch of coupon books. And Daphne is always quick to use those ones about taking my apple juice. Maybe I just need to stop including those coupons in her book. But it's all I can think of for her, considering that sex is severely off the table for both of us and she doesn't seem particularly fond of any physical contact in the first place. Shows you how much I know about women.

That's something I could use, too, if you have anything in your workshop about learning to understand women and their behavior. I never know if I'm doing anything right. I am so scared that I'm going to do something stupid and she'll leave. God, wouldn't that be awkward news to break to Champagne?

That's all I need this year: apple juice (and lots of it), Christmas lists of my friends, and a guide to understanding women. Tada!

Merry Christmas, my friend. Merry Christmas.

Signed,

Nate McIalwain, District 2


From: Priscilla Westfall, District 2, Christmas before the start of the rebellion (she's 8)

Dear Santa:

I've been very very good this year!

Ms. Allison keeps saying this big word that starts with the letter R. Ashely and I are very scared because we don't know what this means. I asked Lijah and he told me not to worry about it. Nate said the same thing. Ash and I are still scared of that word. What if it means people get hurt? What if it separates Ash and I? What if it makes Lijah and Nate go away? Scary.

Anyways, I'm sure it will all work out! It always does, after all.

I know Ms. Allison says that you never get our letters and even if you did we'd all be on the naughty list, but I just know that I've been SO good this year! And Nate told me that you could leave anything for Ash and me under his tree so you don't even have to make an extra stop or anything! I don't care what you would get for me, but all I want this Christmas is a present.

The only present I've got this year besides the new clothes and boring stuff that we "have to get" as orphans came from a really nice boy I met this year. Brandt Manson got me a pretty flower and he put it in Ashley's hair so I could see it. She looked so pretty.

This Christmas I want another pretty flower like the one I got from Brandt. The one he gave me's all brown and withered. And if you could find one for Ash, too, that'd be great. Nate promised he'd send this letter straight to you along with his. Nate's really great. Get him a flower, too, if anything.

Thank you, and merry Christmas!

Love,

Priscilla Westfall, District 2


From: Ashley Duermin, District 2, AU

No. Not doing this. This is retarded. No Christmas. No nothing. No.

-Ashley Duermin, Mistress of the Mansion


From: Brandt Manson, District 2, AU

Ah, it's that time of year again.

Christmas, in all it's glory. A time for presents, a time for companionship, and my least favorite, a time for physical contact.

Well, just a letter to say that I've had enough. I hate being the receiver, I want to be a giver. I want to be some little boy or girl's Santa. Years and years and years have gone by with Priscilla and Ashley getting nothing and Paulina and I getting every single thing we asked for and more… It's so incredibly unfortunate that those innocent little girls lived off of nothing and those terrible people got everything. Really shows you something about this world that we live in.

(And yes, when I say terrible people, I'm also referencing myself. But let's not go there, please.)

Frankly, I don't want anything because I feel like I don't deserve anything. I watched Nate grow up, from that time he was toddling around the District, touching stray felines with Elijah, I saw it all. I really watched all of them grow up: Elijah, Nate, Priscilla, and Ashley, and they all grew up together, mostly. Then I can't believe how fast it fell apart.

I don't blame myself for Ashley. I really tried to protect them, I really really tried… It wasn't good enough, a lot like me according to my sister.

I barely blame myself for Elijah. As Nate's gone on and on about, we were all in shock when the reaping happened. We didn't know what was going on.

I couldn't have saved Priscilla, either. Before I knew what was even happening, Nate was screaming and pushing through the people.

No, it was Nate that I blame myself for. First of all, I could've stopped him from volunteering in the first place. I could've grabbed him by the shirt collar and made him think about what the hell he was doing. Maybe Priscilla would've won if I had kept Nate from volunteering. It's possible.

But it was after that. When we were sitting in the train after he won his Games, and I volunteered…

Nate had these cuts on his arms. I know what it looks like when someone cuts themself with a razor, and that's what Nate was doing, I just knew it. I asked him about it once. He screamed defensively and I let it go, but I really shouldn't have. That's what I feel guilty for.

I keep my emotions strictly inside my walls, and therefore this letter will be deleted off of my computer forever once I'm done with it. This is such an efficient way to get these feelings out. How else do I keep a straight face when everyone calls me fucktard or shitbag or some other mean name, right?

So, in conclusion, I want nothing this Christmas. Absolutely nothing. All I want is for you to provide for everyone that actually deserves it.

Merry Christmas.

-Brandt Mason, District 2