Every year millions of children around the country write letters to Santa Claus in the North Pole, and for the last 104 years, with the help of the United States Postal Service, those letters find their destination. According to Iowa City Postmaster Stacy St. John, the USPS offers a nationwide program called “Letters to Santa.” Parents can take their children’s letters along with a self-addressed envelope to local post offices, put them in a special envelope, and hear back from the big man himself. Kids will receive a letter from Santa postmarked from the North Pole, which makes for a unique keepsake. St. John adds, even if kids don’t take part in the “Letters to Santa” program, they can still get their letters answered by sending them through the USPS. Individual mail carriers can pick up letters addressed to the North Pole, and each will be responded to by Santa.

St. John says the USPS takes great pride in handling Santa letters this time of year. She explains, “The United States Postal Service is so tightly ingrained and associated with the holiday season. It’s a very exciting time of year for us. It is really where we have an opportunity to provide very good customer service, and just be present and in front of our customers at a really important time of year for them. And just offering that bit of personal touch and keeping it genuine and about the holiday, it’s just pretty important for the postal service to be a part of the holiday.” To hear more about how the USPS handles letters to Santa, listen to the In Touch with Southeast Iowa interview with St. John at KCIIRadio.com.