Letters to Santa
This week, we wanted to share a time-sensitive Christmas activity, but due to events which we’ll get into in this post, we’d like to share both the original activity as well as an alternative. So buckle up for a rundown of how to write a letter to Santa – or to someone else!
First, the magical activity we had queued up for you: a letter to Santa! For the past 40+ years, the Canada Post has accepted letters to Santa from around the world. Each year, between November 1 and the end of January, over 1 million letters addressed to “Santa Claus, North Pole, H0H 0H0, Canada” are answered, in whatever language they were written in, by Santa and thousands of his elves. You can read more about the history of this incredible tradition in this 2011 article. In order to receive a response by Christmas, letters must be sent no later than December 6, and there are even templates available to assist letter writers who need a bit of direction. What an incredible program!
Unfortunately, as of November 15, Canadian postal workers are on strike and no mail is being delivered. Another article, this one about the impact of the strike on the letter-writing program.
May the strike be resolved, in a manner that benefits both the postal workers and the people of Canada, as swiftly as possible! In the meantime, we invite you (yes, you – adults and kids alike!) to write a letter to Santa in the hope that it makes it to the North Pole before Christmas. But we also encourage you to consider other folks you might write a Christmas letter to. Letter writing is a great way to slow down and refocus during the holiday season, and receiving a letter in the mail is one of life’s great joys! You might reflect on the past year, express your hopes for the year to come, or recall a favorite holiday memory in which the recipient of your letter played a role. If you’re letter writing with kids who aren’t yet writing independently, you can assist with spelling, scribe for them, or have them draw a picture and dictate a caption to you. Stamp it, mail it, and make someone’s day!
