Dear Santa hosted by Jim Belushi on Thursday Dec 5!

[Pavan]

REAL KIDS' WISHES IN LETTERS TO SANTA COME TRUE, ON "DEAR SANTA," A HEARTWARMING HOLIDAY SPECIAL AIRING THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, ON THE ABC TELEVISION NETWORK

Jim Belushi (ABC's "According to Jim") Hosts


Every year the U.S. Postal Service receives tens of thousands of letters from across the country addressed to Santa Claus. A new and heartwarming holiday special, "Dear Santa," hosted by Jim Belushi of ABC's hit family comedy "According to Jim," will focus on a half-dozen of these hopeful letters and try to fulfill the wishes of the wonderful kids who wrote them. In addition the program will feature "Saturday Night Live" alum Joe Piscopo in a special appearance at a K-Mart in Wall, New Jersey, playing Santa to a group of excited youngsters. "Dear Santa" airs THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.


Following are six children, from all around the country, whose letters Santa will respond to:

* Kedra, age nine, who asks Santa to help her find her long lost grandfather -- whom she has never met and whom her mother has been trying to find for the past 20 years.

* Delany, age eight, who notes that all kids have magic and asks that Santa help her use her magic to communicate with animals.

* Daniel, age seven, who tells Santa that he has leukemia and says that Santa can find him this year in St. Jude's Hospital. Daniel really wishes he could see his friends and also go to Elvis's house and ride "the King's" horse.

* Alyssa, age seven, who wants to help needy children, is granted a shopping spree at K-Mart to buy toys for kids at a homeless shelter. She also asks Santa to make it snow in Arizona.

* Manny, age ten, who asks Santa to help his mother look nice, smell good and be happy.

* Cole, age nine, who asks Santa to help bring Sam the Ram, his imaginary friend, to life.


Arnold Shapiro (Oscar and Emmy Award winner for "Scared Straight!") and Allison Grodner (Emmy winner for the "Teen Files") are executive producers. Both were executive producers of "Big Brother 2 and 3." "Dear Santa is a Shapiro/Grodner Production and is sponsored in part by K-Mart on ABC.