Santa is outsourcing this year. With the high cost of gas and reindeer feed, he had decided to contract with The Evening Sun to help spread good will and wishes here in Chenango County.

As per our Delivering Christmas agreement, The Sun’s reporting staff has been helping out at good causes all over the county. And what better place for us to help out than at an elementary school, encouraging children to read.

While we prefer to be called Santa’s helpers, I guess it is understandable that we have been mistaken for elves on more than one occasion. I blame it on the apron.

Pointy ears or no pointy ears, we caused quite a stir yesterday when Jessica Lewis, Tyler Murphy, Melissa deCordova and I paid a visit to Stanford Gibson Primary School in Norwich. The four of us were there to read to Kindergarten/First Grade students during their designated 100 Book Challenge reading time.

The program is designed to help students learn good reading habits early so they become lifelong independent readers. The kids earn one step for every 15 minutes they read. Their daily 30-minute reading time earns them two steps a day, but they are also encouraged to read at home.

Time spent reading is recorded in a log book and readers are rewarded every time they complete 20 steps. Kids are very proud of the certificates, medals and other awards they receive.