Santa Claus has received his copy of today’s edition of the Macon County Times, a red-nosed source familiar with the inner workings of the North Pole confirmed late Wednesday night.

Santa began reading letters from area kids printed in the paper late Wednesday night and was expected to continue reading well into Thursday morning, according to the source, who spoke only on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal from Dancer and Vixen.

The Times publishes letters to Santa annually, per an agreement reached decades ago between the paper and Mr. Claus.

Since the letters were published late Tuesday night, the Times has received several additional letters that were not submitted in time for publication. No worries, though, for kids like Mercedes and Shelby Barrett.

The letters written by Mercedes and Shelby, as well as others from local kids, were read in full to the red-nosed informant Wednesday night. The informant assured the Times he would pass the Christmas wishes on to Mr. Claus.

"I can confirm that these late arrivals were brought to the attention of the North Pole," said Times managing editor Brad Gaskins. "I have been assured Santa is aware of the Christmas wishes of these kids."

Santa is expected to arrive in Macon County late tonight or in the wee hours of Friday morning, the source said.