Seventy-seven percent of American adults believe children should be told about the magical and beneficent elf Santa Claus, according to a Scripps Howard News Service and Ohio University study.

With Christmas just a day away, I demand an immediate revote, or perhaps an investigation into this other 23 percent.

"Santa is the story of a cool guy who undertakes an astonishing amount of work on behalf of the world's children," Robert Sullivan, a senior editor at Time magazine, told the study-sponsoring news service.

"It's good to tell kids about him as long as they focus on the right things about Santa, his basic and essential goodness," Sullivan added.

I agree.

Not only is Santa's story awesome, so too are ones about his elves. Santa, of course, has many elves working for him.

The Herald spoke with one locally-based elf Thursday evening. The elf, who lives in Sharon but requested anonymity, recruited volunteers for a one-day push that is bringing Christmas to an 8-year-old Sharon girl who wouldn't have had one otherwise.

The elf said the girl, who lives with her grandmother, told her that this year "Christmas wasn't coming to her house."

The elf went into high-gear, eliciting Santa's giving spirit from everyone she saw. A neighbor's help has already brought a decorated tree to the girl's home. Her grandmother cried and the little girl beamed when the tree was delivered, the elf said.

More goodies are on the way, the elf predicted.

The elf, who moonlights at a Shenango Valley department store, said employees and shoppers were more than willing to contribute toward clothes, a coat and toys for the girl and gifts for grandma. She said the story about the girl who thought Santa forgot about her house spread like wildfire through the store.

The elf added that one of the girl's school teachers donated vouchers for groceries and a Christmas dinner, and the Hermitage lumber company where her husband works has helped out, too. The elf has also arranged for Santa to visit the girl's home Monday morning.

Thursday evening, the elf was drained. "I've been crying all day. For this little girl who never asked or complained, and for the generosity of people in this community," the elf said, downplaying her own role in this Christmas story.

Each year, Santa delivers Christmas gifts to children around the world with the help of a fleet of flying reindeer -- and a few volunteer elves.