ESTERO, Fla. - The slow economy this holiday season is being noticed as far away as the North Pole. Some kids are changing what's on their wish lists for Santa Claus!

Santa remains as popular as ever at his workshop inside the Bass Pro Shops at Gulf Coast Town Center in Estero.

The wish lists he's hearing include much of what you'd expect: cell phones, i-pods, Nintendo's Wii. But St. Nick says he's also noticed many kids this year are asking for less.

"They seem to understand what's going on and they know that mom and dad need a little help."

The younger children still want it all, but older children appear to have a grasp on the tough times. A few even ask to help their parents.

"One of them walked up and said, can you find Dad a job. And that was kind of hard, hard to answer," Santa said. "It kind of grabs you. Mom looked, tears started running down."