Exploring Santa's mail bag
By Janey Goude
Photography by Jeff Amberg
"Each year we receive around 2,000 letters addressed to 'Santa, North Pole.' Although we receive Santa letters all year round, we wait until close to Christmas to send them to the North Pole," says Harry Spratlin, greater South Carolina district communications coordinator for the United States Postal Service.
While some adults still enjoy corresponding with Santa, children write the majority of Santa letters. Harry describes letters to Santa as a literacy incentive. He says, "A Santa letter may be a child's first inspiration to write. In many cases, the letters we receive come from children who have never written a letter before. We want to make sure we handle these special letters responsibly and with concern for the children who wrote them. The postal service delivers Christmas; it's our reputation. Santa letters are a part of that." ...
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