Delivering the holidays, delivering dreams
Our elves are giddy with anticipation as they prepare for Operation Santa Claus!
For more than 102 years, the US Postal Service has been the official liaison between children and that jolly ole’ elf named Santa. Today, the popular holiday program is known nationwide as Letters to Santa. The exception is New York City, where the city’s own Operation Santa, the largest in the country, responds to more than 500,000 letters each year. Thousands of volunteers work with Post Offices to respond to letters from children of all ages listing their holiday wishes. Many come from other parts of the country and from other nations, thanks to the classic movie Miracle on 34th Street. The film, a seasonal rerun on TV networks around the world at this time of year, shows the New York Post Office delivering thousands of kids Christmas letters to a department-store Santa who claims to be the real Kris Kringle. In the movie and in real life, most of the letters handled by Operation Santa Claus are addressed simply Santa Claus, or Santa Claus, North Pole.
During the South Arkansas Arts Center’s 2015 Christmas production of Miracle on 34th Street, we are giving Santa a helping hand as an unofficial collection point for cards and letters to Santa. When attending the production, children are encouraged to drop off the letters in the postal box located in the lobby. After Miracle closes, our elves will deliver them to the post office where they will continue their journey to the North Pole and St. Nick.
For more information on how to get involved with Operation Santa Claus, contact our local post office.