When your little boy sits on Santa’s lap, is he requesting a Nerf Vortex – or a new baby brother? Is your daughter wishing for Monster High dolls – or $1 million? We asked TODAY Moms readers to tell us about the unusual things your kids have requested from St. Nick, and you had lots of funny, sweet and sad anecdotes to share.  

AP

You want a what, now? Sometimes kids' wish lists throw even Santa for a loop.

Food-related requests were surprisingly common: “My son asked Santa for a churro maker so he can have Disneyland churros at home,” said Nicole Macko-Margetts. Kristen Wurm Roeder wrote that her son asked for hot dogs last year, and this year, a refrigerator for his room. JoJo Taylor-Lewis’s preschooler requested pizza (Santa obliged, delivering a cheese pie under the tree).

And though it might seem like your kids just want stuff for themselves, they’re thinking of you, too. Stacy Hopper wrote that her 6-year-old wants Santa to bring makeup for mommy (thanks, kid), and Cari Lawrence VanOsdol said that her 3-year-old son asked Santa to bring his mom a husband so she wouldn’t cry anymore. “It made me cry at the time, but the following summer, I met my future husband,” said VanOsdol.  Way to go, Santa!

Angela Pringle reported that her two sons asked for a baby sister, two years in a row, and Justine Bowman wrote that her 8-year-old asked Santa to make angels come back to life, “so she can see her daddy and her grampa again.” Cortney Dotson’s son asked why Santa didn’t come to his orphanage in China for the four years that he lived there. “Poor Santa had to take a break after that,” she said.

No matter what a child asks for – be it an American Girl doll, an iPad or a new job for mommy – the first rule of Santa-hood is to never promise anything, said Tim Connaghan, a 43-year veteran of the red suit. “Santa has to listen to the wishes, give an optimistic answer and leave everything in the hands of the parents,” said the man known in the biz as “Santa Hollywood.”  “Whatever the situation is, they need a good feeling, an optimistic feeling.”

That’s especially true if a child is asking for something tough, like for his divorced parents to reconcile, or for her beloved grandmother to come back from the grave. “The first thing to do is acknowledge what the child says,” said Connaghan. “The child needs to know that you hear them.”

Santa can also empathize, and offer reassurance that the child is loved. “And then, Santa has to kind of change the subject,” said Connaghan, who has schooled over 2,000 aspiring St. Nicks through his International University of Santa Claus. Skilled Santas know to move the conversation gently to what else the child may want for Christmas -- and get an answer they can feel good about.

Still, it is possible for your kids to throw Santa for a loop – even Santa Hollywood. Connaghan relayed a story of a young girl who not only wanted her own elf, but Santa’s robe and belt, too. “When her mother came up afterward, I told her about what her daughter had asked for. She looked at me and said, ‘Santa, we’re Jewish!’”

If you asked Santa for something great to read, we've got you covered with more great TODAY Moms links:

"Like" TODAY Moms on Facebook, and follow us @TodayMoms

Courtesy Anne Pham

Tai, 18 months, is hurting Santa's ears!

Earlier this month we presented round one of some of the fantastic "Scared of Santa" photos readers submitted as part of our Your Cute Kids contest via Facebook. We had such a huge response, and the pictures (like the one of tearful little Tai Pham, above) were so irresistible, we couldn't help but select another batch of goodies. We hope you enjoy them in this last week before Christmas, and don't forget to see our new callout for photos. To celebrate the New Year, send us your photos of new babies… or your bigger kids doing something new. Whether it’s a newborn or your big girl riding her new bike or tying her shoe for the first time, let’s see those brand-spankin’-new moments.

But first, more holiday terror with jolly St. Nick.

Courtesy Rachel Divita

Kendall, 2, isn't pleased but her baby bro wonders why.

Courtesy Sarah Moore

Ava asks: Why???!!!

Courtesy Laura Bonelli

Trevor and Sloan, 11 months, aren't happy, but neither is Santa!

Courtesy Teresa Yvette

Kailani, 11 months, is not a happy camper on Santa's lap.

Courtesy Michaela Peterson

Noah, 6 months, giving Santa a pouty lip.

Courtesy Janice Gurry

Nolan, 18 months, doesn't like Mrs. Claus, either.

Courtesy Rian Trank

Ayden and Brennen say: Santa is scary, even though we were born on Christmas day.

Courtesy Kimberly Grasson

Brayden, 20 months, is not as brave as his big brothers

Courtesy Brandi Biggart

Lana wonders why baby brother Carson is so scared of Santa.

Courtesy Nikki Banos

Joseph, 21 months displays his true feelings about Santa.

Courtesy Joelle Boros

Bode and Brogie went from happy to not-so-happy on Santa's lap.

"Like" TODAY Moms on Facebook, and follow us @TodayMoms

Courtesy Julia Sommerfeld

Jude (then 1) says: Get me outta here!

There are certain times being a parent can be so...entertaining. Taking the kiddos to take a picture with Santa, for example. We all assume it will be a meeting resulting in wide eyes, hugs, and super-hero admiration. But in so many cases, it's just not.

Take dapper little Jude (son of TODAY.com editor Julia Sommerfeld), shown above. His "get-me-outta-here" expression seems to confound even Santa. We asked for your best "Scared of Santa" photos and were inundated with great pictures. Here's our first sampling. Thanks for sharing and expect to see more in the coming weeks before Christmas. Like TODAY Moms on Facebook to join in our photo fun! 

Courtesy Maria Walp

Adam, 7, and Sarah, 3. Hmmm, Santa, who is naughty and who is nice?

Courtesy April James

Shiloh Rose's holiday horror

Courtesy Jennifer Culp

Avery, right, is a little less happy about meeting Santa than brother Tucker is.

Courtesy Erika McGovern

Santa did not make a good impression on Emily, 10 months

Courtesy Melissa Gard

Kennedy, 11 months, says: Make him go away!

Courtesy Maria Carter

Allison, 2, says: Get me off this FatMan''s Lap!

Courtesy Amanda Selke

Brooke tries to make a fast break...

Courtesy Tara Delgado

Mia, 2, says: Help!

Courtesy Sarah Morrisseau

Ashby, 2, wants to go far away...

Courtesy Brooke Stanchey

10-month-old Kate is "scared stiff"

Courtesy Dominique Love

Big sister Jackie (on left) to little sister Jillian: Atleast someone's been good!

Courtesy Christine Shultz

Santa's got a handful with Ryan, 3, and Ellie Grace, 1.

Courtesy Amy Van Brocklin

An unhappy then-16-month old Alison...mom says: Six years later we can all laugh about this.

Courtesy Britany Ek

Twins Ethan and Jacob, 10 months, are split on whether Santa's a nice guy.

"Like" TODAY Moms on Facebook, and follow us @TodayMoms

North Pole alert: If there are any Santa-loving kids reading over your shoulder, now would be a good time for them to go play somewhere else!

Oh, how vividly I recall the moment my impossibly sweet mother very flatly revealed the cold, hard truth about Santa.

I was 6 or 7 and had recently watched the cartoon TV special based on that famous old newspaper editorial, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.” The whole idea of grown-ups making a big deal out of insisting Santa was real gave me a hunch that the opposite was more likely true.

So one day after school, I worked up the nerve to ask my mom The Big Question. “Mommy, is Santa real?”

“No,” she replied, without skipping a beat as she continued washing dishes.

The news didn’t upset me, really, though I was a bit surprised she didn’t break it a little more gently. Thirty years later, when I asked her why she hadn’t spun some sentimental yarn about how Santa does exist -- as the spirit of giving that makes the holidays such a wonderful time of year -- she cringed through a smile and said, “I just thought you were ready to know the truth.”

There are no doubt lots of little ones -- ready or not -- are asking their moms and dads The Big Question this year.

In a New York City suburb, it’s thanks to a second-grade teacher who caused a stir when she told her students that Santa wasn’t real and that it is moms and dads who stuff those stockings and buy all those presents. In Chicago, it’s because of a news anchor’s primetime pronouncement that parents should give up the Santa fib as soon as kids can talk. The anchor issued a prompt on-air apology, but it did little to tame the rage of the masses calling for her to be fired.

“What she did was unthinkable,” Terry A. Hoop, of Mankato, Minn., wrote on Facebook. “She has destroyed the hopes and dreams of all the little ones at this magical time of year.”

A few brave souls countered that she’d done the right thing by telling the truth, only to be shouted down by hundreds more insult-laden screeds calling her “self-absorbed” and “heartless.”

And how do level-headed parents react when an adult – whether well-intentioned or clueless – has burst the Santa bubble? A survey of online parenting message boards finds passionate rants about why truth-tellers shun Santa as a big, fat lie or why Santa zealots view non-believers as evil dream-crushers.

Then there as this thoughtful insight about St. Nicholas from a BabyCenter poster:

“He’s a true historical figure who was orphaned young but with a sizable inheritance,” the parent wrote. “It was part of his life’s work to bring gifts and hope to children in need. So in reality good ole Santa is an embellishment of this story with the intent to keep the giving nature of Christmas alive.”

When the time comes for me to read my kids a book about the real St. Nick, I have a feeling they’ll find something magical in the story about the generous old man who spawned the Santa Clause myth. And we’ll still leave out a plate of cookies for “him” on Christmas Eve.

Do your kids still believe in Santa Claus? If not, what age were they when they learned the truth?

Liz Murtaugh Gillespie is a Seattle freelance writer and mother of two whose heart melts guilt-free when her daughter raves about how Santa’s sleigh can fly in outer space.

"Like" TODAY Moms on Facebook, and follow us @TodayMoms