A Christmas fable for our times.

In a small town in America a young girl asked her father for help writing to Santa.
He asked her what she wanted for Christmas but she was hesitant and to his every suggestion about toys and games she quietly demurred. Finally the little girl said that she didn't want Santa to bring anything.
The father asked her why she wanted to write Santa at all. The little girl replied; 'I want him to take something away'.
The father was puzzled and very curious. "Take what away, dear?'
'Your gun.'
'My gun ... why do you want Santa to take my gun? You know how Daddy loves his gun.'
The little girl hesitated and then said: 'It scares me. I don't want to be scared anymore.'
The father smiled and kissed her. "But you shouldn't be afraid. I keep a gun to protect us from people with guns."
The little girl began to weep. "Does that mean I need a gun too?'.
The father hugged his daughter. He pictured his little girl holding a gun and thought about it for a few moments. He finally realized what he needed to do and decided to give his little girl the Christmas present she wanted most in the world. Together they wrote the letter to Santa.
'Dear Santa: My daddy is leaving his gun under our Christmas tree. Please take it with you back to the North Pole."
The little girl was so happy and excited that the next day she told all her friends about the letter to Santa and about her father leaving his gun under the tree. Her friends loved the idea and all went home to ask their Dads to help them write the same letter.
On Christmas Eve the father and the little girl placed the gun and a box of ammunition under the tree and put out a glass of milk and cookies for Santa. She was so excited that she could barely sleep. She listened for Santa and imagined the sleigh and reindeer on the rooftop.
The next morning she awoke and ran downstairs and into the living room. Santa had come! Underneath the Christmas tree there was nothing at all but a piece of paper. It was a note from Santa addressed to the little girl.
"Thank you for the best Christmas I ever had. For so long I had delivered presents all over the world and returned to the North Pole with an empty sleigh. You letter was the first of so many like it that my sleigh is overloaded and I have never been happier. If Christmas is about giving, it is also about taking away things that are harmful and frightening. Don't forget that your father gave up something he loves because he loves you so much more."
The little girl ran upstairs and hugged her father. It truly was the best Christmas ever.