Raleigh, N.C. — All Melinda Pfeiffer wants for Christmas is a job. Looking under her Christmas tree at the smaller pile of presents she was able to afford for her three children this year, she hopes they won't notice.

"It has been a tough season, and I have broken down in tears," said Pfeiffer, 44, of Raleigh. "I got to get a job."

She decided to take her plea to a jolly old elf known for granting wishes this time of year. She wrote a letter to Santa and sent it to the News and Observer. They printed it – a Christmas list one item long.

"Dear Santa, all I want for Christmas is a job," her letter states.

Ten months ago, Pfeiffer lost her job as a web editor. She has been on nearly a dozen interviews for new jobs, but the outcome is always the same.

"You don't get a call. You just drop off the face of the earth," she said.

Pfeiffer said she has it better than many of North Carolina's unemployed. She still has a roof over her head.

"I am not alone," she said. "I know I am not alone."

Her letter asked that others who are out of work get what they want too.

"Not just for me, but for all the millions of others in this predicament, and Santa, I still believe in you," it states.

Since her letter was printed earlier this month, Pfeiffer has received Christmas cards from strangers with well wishes for the holidays. She said she has another interview lined up after Christmas and is hopeful she will find a job.