It’s still only November, but staffers at The Tidewater News are already full of Christmas spirit.

That’s because we’re anxiously awaiting this year’s crop of cute and colorful letters to Santa, which will be published in our Dec. 20 edition.

The Dec. 7 deadline for getting your letters to us is fast approaching.

It takes a good bit of work for our elves to type the letters and prepare them for St. Nick to read in his Sunday paper. We have it on good authority that he appreciates the effort, though, and want to make sure everything is perfect for him.

Here are a few tips as your children sit down to write that will make the process as smooth as Santa’s suit:

Santa is hip to the digital age, so e-mailed letters and photos are preferred. Please send both in the same e-mail to santa@tidewaternews.com.

Be sure to include the name and hometown of each child with the photo.

Photos with more than one person may have to be cropped to fit the space, so keep that in mind when sending pictures of multiple children or pets in.

Original photos should be clear and easy to see. If you have a question about a photo, don’t hesitate to call, e-mail or stop by our office at 1000 Armory Drive in Franklin. Our elves are at the ready to help.

Be sure to leave your name and phone number so that we may contact you if we have questions.

Please try to keep letters to 200 words or less.

Pictures will be able to be picked up at the office after the new year.

Writing a letter to Santa is a time-honored tradition that we take very seriously (and also have great fun reading). We hope you will enjoy the edition as much as we do.