Santa’s Elves Prepare for Busy Christmas Season

Posted on November 22, 2013

November 22, 2013 (Santa Claus, Ind.) – As the holiday season nears, a group of volunteers in the town of Santa Claus, Indiana, meets to organize another year of answering children’s letters to Santa Claus.

“Children have been sending letters to our town for more than a century,” says Pat Koch, chief elf and president of the Santa’s Elves organization. “Our records show that the first person to answer the children’s letters to Santa was the Santa Claus Postmaster, James Martin, in 1914. We’ve not missed a year since.”

Santa’s Elves Inc. is a nonprofit organization formed in 1974 to ensure postage costs are covered each year. Up to 30,000 letters are answered annually by the Santa’s Elves, who are assisted by the Christmas Lake Village Garden Club, local senior citizens, and other yuletide volunteers. The Christmassy letters and envelopes are printed and contributed each year by Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, formerly Santa Claus Land.

Children of all ages can address letters to Santa to: Santa Claus, P.O. Box 1, Santa Claus, IN 47579. Koch urges parents to ensure that a legible return address is included. Donations to help pay for postage costs are welcome, and may be sent to the same address. Letters must be received by December 21 to get a response.

Families wishing to bring their children to the town of Santa Claus, Indiana, to write their letters may stop by the restored 1856 post office at the Santa Claus Museum & Village.

In addition, the special Santa Claus holiday postmark will be available at the Santa Claus Post Office, beginning on December 2. This famous small-town post office is the only one in the world with the Santa Claus name and receives over 400,000 pieces of mail in December.

The Santa Claus Post Office has offered the special postmark every holiday season since 1983. Find details about getting the special cancellation stamp here.

Santa Claus, Indiana, will host a celebration of family fun on the first three weekends of December. Events include a traditional Christmas Dinner with Santa; Santa Claus Land of Lights, a 1.2-mile drive through Lake Rudolph Campground & RV Resort; Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire; and more.

For more information about the Santa Claus Christmas Celebration, call (888) 444-9252 or visit www.SantaClausInd.org/Christmas.