SANTA LETTER PROGRAM KILLED

The U.S. Postal Service is dropping popular national program begun in 1954 in the small Alaska town of North Pole, where volunteers open and respond to thousands of letters addressed to Santa each year. Replies come with North Pole postmarks.

Last year, a postal worker in Maryland recognized an Operation Santa volunteer there as a registered sex offender. The postal worker interceded before the individual could answer a child’s letter, but the Postal Service viewed the episode as a big enough scare to tighten rules in such programs nationwide.

People in North Pole are incensed by the change. North Pole Mayor Doug Isaacson agreed caution is necessary to protect children, but he’s outraged North Pole’s program should be affected by a sex offender’s actions on the East Coast.

Kids can still send letters to Santa Claus. The Postal Service still runs the giant Operation Santa Program in which children can have their letter to Santa answered, and the restrictions do not affect privately run letter efforts.

What will change are the generically addressed letters to “Santa Claus, North Pole” that have for years been forwarded to the Alaska town. Losing the Santa-letter cache is a blow to the community of 2,100 people, who pride themselves on their Christmas ties. Huge tourist attractions in the town include an everything-Christmas store, Santa Claus House, and the post office, where visitors can get a hand-stamped postmark on their postcards and packages.

SANTA LETTER PROGRAM KILLED

Not Found