Lisa Carnley is managing editor of the Lampasas Dispatch Record. I think I have seen every way that kids can spell the word “want.”

I’m talking about our recent printing of the annual Letters to Santa that prekindergarten students through second-graders write at school and then are forwarded to the newspaper for printing.

Hundreds of letters are sent to us, and of course we type those to make it easier for Santa to read the wish lists of local kids.

And I do mean we type them. Each one. Individually. No, there are no elves doing that job. Just me. Most years I am fortunate to have the help of Gail Lowe (another of Santa’s helpers). Otherwise it would be an almost overwhelming task.

And yes, we type them (in most cases) just as they are sent to us -- misspellings, garbled words, switched letters and all.

I imagine when most parents see their kids’ letters they think they are unbelievably cute. But there are some who don’t believe their kids can botch the English language so badly.

I had a parent phone one year irate because he believed we purposely misspelled some of his child’s requests to give it that “awww” factor. I assured him we did not. They are printed as they are brought in. I even had to show him the letter to prove it.

These are just kids, and although they know what they want, they can’t always make that clear on their wish lists.

But I think what puzzles me the most is that first-graders can ask for a Lamborghini -- and spell it correctly -- but can’t spell the word “want” as in “I want ...”

I have seen it spelled “whont,” “wont,” “whunt,” “wut,” “wunt” and most any other way you could possibly imagine. Just think like a kindergartner. You’ll get the idea.

I have been able, over the years, to figure out what some of the more garbled words actually mean.

For instance, when a child asks for a rmot ctrl, I usually can decipher that as remote control. Or in the case of a youngster asking for a trnfome, that is likely a Transformer, and modrsikl is a motorcycle.

Bobedol is a Barbie doll, and ostrnot is an astronaut. And sale foon is a cell phone (obviously), while a number of kids are requesting a pupe (puppy).

And kids usually have a tough time getting across that they want to leave milk and cookies for Santa, although I am sure Santa understands.

Cooces is a favorite for cookies, and coco is pretty obvious.

Little ones have an even tougher time spelling “Christmas” and “Santa and Mrs. Claus.”

I have seen variations on the spelling of the holiday -- from Crimis, Crimsis, Chrimis and Chrismtas to Chrimsas.

And kids spell Santa Claus and his wife as Santa Clos, Sante Clos, Mis Clos and Miz Cluse.

There are those youngsters who don’t ask for anything for themselves but want their bruthr or sisdr to have toys. And still others want “pece on erth” and “to be with mi fambly.”

And just when I think I have it mostly figured out, toymakers come out with some newfangled gadget that kids can’t live without and that parents must take a second mortgage to afford.

Then the guessing starts all over again, because I have to try to interpret what it is the kids are asking for. After all, I want my grandson to have the latest goodies, too -- no matter how he spells them or what they cost.