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We started our Santa sleuthing with a search on "how many letters santa post office." Our search delivered the goods by the sleighful. Accurate estimates as to how many letters Santa receives each year are hard to come by. One article we read stated that the North Pole post office receives close to half a million letters to Santa each year. But it's hard to pinpoint a total because many of the letters addressed to Santa end up at various places on the globe (even at the polar opposite of Santa's home -- the South
Pole) and are handled by local post offices. We think it's fair to say the number could be over a million. So what happens to all these missives full of hope and wishes? Well, at least some of them have become part of a project called Arctic Phenomenon designed by the University of Lapland to study the letters written to Santa. Some are saved for posterity, like the letter written on birch bark by two Polish schoolboys that is now proudly displayed in the wall of the Santa Claus Main Post Office, located on the Arctic Circle in Lapland. Many more letters, however, become part of a volunteer project at local post offices called Operation Santa Claus.
This project started in the '20s in the New York Post Office. Touched by the numerous letters to Santa they received, postal clerks in the branch answered many of the letters, digging into their own pockets to send presents to the children who wrote. Of course, most of the letters written to Santa are wish lists itemizing the gifts the writer would love to find under their tree on Christmas morning. There are exceptions, however. Many people write simply to wish Santa well. And some write for other reasons. One couple wrote wishing Santa would respond so they could tell their unborn baby that Santa really existed. Others discuss their hopes and fears. Some bring tears to the eye, like the one from a homeless 7-year-old who wanted nothing for himself, just diapers for his infant sister.
Inspired to help? Check with your local post office branch to see if they participate in Operation Santa Claus. If they don't, you can visit or contact Operation Santa Claus in New York to request children's letters to answer. Write to: Operation Santa Claus
James A. Farley Building
421 Eighth Avenue, Room 3023
New York, NY 10199-9998
You can also telephone the branch at 212-330-3084. If you just want to pen your own letter to the jolly old fellow, the Post Office has issued some tips to help you out.
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