‘Say Santa bro, whatta ya know.’ : Post Office Elves Help St. Nick Answer Kids’ Christmas Letters
The letters came by the armful three times a day from Thanksgiving on.
They were addressed to Santa Claus in the North Pole, but if they were mailed in the San Fernando Valley they wound up on the second floor of a Van Nuys office building--all 3,000 of them.
There, in Room 215, postal employees penned responses from Santa or farmed the letters out to Jaycees and Kiwanis who did the job for them.
A form letter guided them, but every response was personalized to keep the legend of Santa Claus alive. “We try to make them feel like Santa really read their letter, that it’s not just one in a million,†said Brenda Viveros, a spokeswoman for the U. S. Postal Service’s Van Nuys division.
Almost every response included a line to get Santa off the hook in case some items on the child’s list did not wind up under the tree.
‘Try My Best’
“I will try my best to get all the gifts you asked me for on my sleigh,†one explained. “I will try.â€
A child named Rachael was particularly understanding.
“I know that you have a lot of houses to go to so if you can’t come to my house, it’s alright,†she wrote.
This year’s letters came in every shape, color and variety. Some were in the hand of children just learning to write, struggling with the curves of every letter. Others were typed on computers.
Some virtually asked for the moon. Others sent good wishes. One pleaded for snow.
Letters recommending that Santa do his shopping at particular stores were plentiful.
A three-page, 50-item Christmas list directed Santa Claus to Nordstrom for 14-karat gold earrings, then to the Broadway for pink tennis shoes and finally to Bullock’s for a green Guess? jacket and pants. Size medium, please.
Another informed Santa that Lazer Tag still was available at Toys R Us, just in case the North Pole ran out.
One wish list was conveniently sorted into five categories: “toys, books, audio tapes, electronics and other.â€
Many included a column for prices, and some children clipped photographs of the items they wanted from catalogues and attached it to their lists to be sure there was no misunderstanding.
A child who planned to spend Christmas at her grandmother’s house furnished Santa with the address so he would know where to find her.
Many began their letters by telling Santa how good they were all year--how high their grades were and how nice they were to younger siblings who never stopped crying.
Others got right down to business: “Dear Santa, this is what I want for Christmas.â€
And still others contained gifts for Santa and his reindeer.
A boy named David sent Santa 31 cents. “Have a Merry Christmas,†he wrote. He asked for nothing in return.
A girl named Tiffany mailed a candy cane. “Dear Santa, all I want to say is hello and Merry Christmas,†she wrote.
A “rap letter†that a postal employee called “the list of the ‘80s†began with, “Say Santa bro, whatta ya know.â€
A Christmas list on behalf of Buster Bogart requested a bone and some very special dog food. It included directions to the proper spot in the house.
“When you come down the chimney, my stocking is on the left,†it said.
To those who asked if they could meet Santa, postal workers replied: “You’ll be sleeping, but here’s a drawing of me and Mrs. Claus.â€
A child named Lauren said she didn’t need to see Santa Claus to know he exists.
“I believe in you no matter what people say,†she wrote. “The cookies will be on the mantle next to the clock. Say hi to Rudolph.â€
Via North Pole
Letters from disadvantaged children--apparent by their requests for food and clothing--were sent to Valley residents who had called the post office after Thanksgiving to offer donations.
Letters that arrived before mid-December yielded replies postmarked from the North Pole. In fact, they were sent by express mail from Van Nuys to Fairbanks, Alaska where the stamp was affixed.
But most letters arrived too late for that. They still were pouring into Room 215 on Christmas Eve, so postal workers drafted a special form letter to answer them.
“My mailman just brought the mail by snowmobile and I was so happy to find a letter from you when I returned from my journey,†it began. “With Christmas over for this year, all of us at the North Pole are resting but looking forward to making next year’s Christmas even better.â€
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