If I’m being honest, I’ve never spent that much time thinking about the people who answer the letters kids to Santa. I mean…I guess it’s always seemed a little bit like it was just part of the magic.
There are normal people on the other end of those pens, though, and here are a few little secrets of the trade they’re willing to spill.
Two “official” addresses.
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If you address your letter to “Santa Clause, 4141 Postmark Dr, Anchorage, AK and include a self-addressed, stamped envelope, you’ll get a reply with an official “North Pole” postmark.
Darleen Reid-DeMeo, senior public relation rep for the USPS, says that one is for serious parents.
“That’s for people who want to respond on behalf of Santa – for parents who want their child to get a note from Santa himself.”
Your other options are to write to Santa Claus, IN, which will arrive at the Santa Claus Museum & Village an receive an answer with a “City of Santa Claus” postmark.
If you send it to your local post office, you’ll receive a local answer from a good-hearted volunteer.
Not everyone asks for toys.
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According to Gail Branham, customer relations coordinator and Chief Elf at the USPS, the requests are all over the board.
“We get simple requests, and sometimes letters that don’t even have a request, like, ‘Santa, I love you, I think you’re great.'”
Emily Weisner Thompson, director of the Santa Claus Museum in Indiana and author of Christmas books, has seen some “very introspective letters” of her own – like this one.
“Dear Santa, I’m really struggling with turning 10 this year. Another one read “I’ve been good, please come to my house, ‘d really like my dad to be smarter.”
It’s good for the heart, says Thompson.
“There’s certainly a perception that the world is increasingly materialistic and in some ways that’s true, but there is a lot of mail that comes through that is kids thinking of others.”
Other times, kids just want to know more about what life is like at the North Pole.
“It’s amazing to see what makes it through the mail sometimes. They’ll bedazzle the envelope sometimes, or you open one up and 20 pounds of glitter falls out. It’s nice when they take the time to decorate it.”
It takes a lot of hands.
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On any given day during the busy season at the Santa Claus Museum it takes 7-10 volunteers to respond to letters, according to Thompson.
“The few who are here most days of the week are really efficient and they can pump them out.”
They have groups of volunteers that come in on some evenings, as well, that add up to about 250 extra hands here and there.
The USPS also employs a bunch of extra hands, says Branham.
“For some companies, it’s part of their holiday protocol. They get letters for their organization and deliver it among the coworkers. It’s a group effort for a lot of people.”
It sounds like a pretty nice way to spend a few hours during the holidays, to be honest.
There are strict security measures.
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Since there is so much private information involved in letters from children, Operation Santa Claus has a number of strict rules.
First, every address is redacted to ensure their locations are secret. Each letter is assigned an anonymous number instead and volunteers are required to show ID when picking up letters and dropping off packages.
Reid-DeMeo calls protecting personal information “our No. 1 goal before anything else.”
They get the pulse on what’s hot.
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The people reading letters from kids know what toys are hot and what gifts are most asked for on any given year, and Branham has noticed a recent trend.
“There’s a letter that will appear to everyone – some people have deep pockets, some don’t. But they take their time and look for something they can fulfill that’s within their means. They want to participate and help someone.”
I mean, peeking behind the curtain is always fun, right?
This would be such a cool way to spend my twilight years – and I just might!
