CLEVELAND, Ohio – How does Santa Claus do it?
The country has 167 million addresses, but somehow he gets around. The other question is how do the workers at the 31,123 Post Offices do it?
The tradition of kids writing Santa dates to the 19th century. More images of St. Nicholas began to appear, helping the cause, so to speak. (Smithsonian Magazine has a deep dive into the history of Santa letters.)
Nowadays, when it comes to writing Santa, the Postal Service can help.
So: Kids bored, dad wants to watch football, mom holding things together as usual? The Post Office actually suggests writing Santa as a Thanksgiving weekend activity. With a windy day and high temperature expected to be under freezing in Northeast Ohio, it’s not a bad idea.
To write Santa, you need two different writing utensils:
1. Have the child write to Santa. Put the note in an envelope addressed to Santa Claus, North Pole.
2. Without the little one noticing, write a personalized response. Sign it: “From Santa.”
3. Insert both letters into an envelope addressed to the child.
4. Add the return address – Santa, North Pole – to the envelope.
5. Put a First Class stamp on the envelope. Stamps cost 73 cents.
6. Place the complete envelope into a larger envelope with appropriate postage to North Pole Postmark, Postmaster, 4141 Postmark Dr., Anchorage AK 99530-9998.
Tips: Write Santa’s response on the back of your child’s letter so your little one can recall what they wrote. When responding as Santa, disguise your handwriting and make it personal: Highlight your child’s activities in 2024.
Operation Santa
Operation Santa is the Postal Service’s program that allows folks to adopt letters for kids. New this year: You can shop and mail gifts online. For details on how to participate on either end, go to USPSoperationasanta.com. Two key dates to know:
• Last call for writers is Monday, Dec. 9.
• Deadline to ship gifts is Monday, Dec. 16.
Of course, there’s always an Ohio connection. Operation Santa was started in 1912 under Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock, who was born Oct. 5, 1867, in Amherst.
I cover restaurants, beer, wine and sports-related topics on our life and culture team. For my recent stories, here’s a cleveland.com directory. WTAM-1100’s Bill Wills and I talk food and drink around 8:20 a.m. Thursdays. Twitter and IG: @mbona30. My latest book, co-authored with Dan Murphy: “Joe Thomas: Not Your Average Joe” by Gray & Co.
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