What exactly does the Post Office DO with all of those letters to Santa?

Answer 1

http://www.usps.com/holiday/mail02.html

Create and Send Santa a Card Online
Have your little ones browse our gallery and choose a greeting card especially for Santa. Send it to:
NORTH POLE CHRISTMAS CANCELLATION
POSTMASTER
5400 MAIL TRAIL
FAIRBANKS, AK 99709-9998


http://www.usps.com/news/online/02_1205_1.htm
December 5, 2002
Letters to Santa:
Post offices everywhere are helping Santa answer his mail

NY Postmaster/District Manager Vinnie Malloy and NY Metro Area Retail Manager Andrew Sozzi (as Santa!) Kick-Off Operation Santa in NYC. The children are from two local schools, P.S. 33, and P.S. 123. Photos: Lawrence Ghiorsi, USPS. Click photos to enlarge.




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Dearborn, IL, Station Letter Carrier Felicia Small is taped reading Letters to Santa for morning show on WFLD-TV channel 32 in Chicago.
WASHINGTON — Santa is a popular guy. Kids, young and old, love the white-bearded wonder. That popularity translates into a lot of cards and letters at this time of year.

Due to the heavy volume of mail and his busy schedule, Santa needs help answering the letters. That's where the Postal Service — and volunteers — come in.

In New York City, the Operation Santa Program kicked off Tuesday at the James Farley Post Office. New York District Manager Vinnie Malloy and Santa opened the program by reading letters addressed to everybody's favorite North Pole resident.

Many of the letters are written by children in need, such as this one: "My name is Jessica. I am seven years old. I'm writing to you because I live with my grandma and my mother is in prison."

Last year the New York Post Office received more than 200,000 letters. Volunteers answered many of those. This year's total has already reached 119,000.

Many other cites have Letters to Santa programs. In Chicago, the local Fox affiliate will be airing 15 segments where a letter carrier reads letters to Santa.

In New York City, Letters to Santa are on display at the James Farley Post Office, located at 421 8th Avenue. Customers also can call 1-877-840-0459 during business hours to receive a letter to answer.

In Chicago, Letters to Santa are on display at the Cardiss Collins Facility, 433 West Harrison, second floor retail lobby. Or local customers can call 312-983-8293.

There are other Letters to Santa programs throughout the country. Check with your local post office.

Answer 2

In a town near here, a letter to Santa got returned to sender, address unknown. The people who got the letter back were on TV, saying they were not treated fairly by the post office, that they were the victims of favoritism. The post office responded by sending a message to the kid, from Santa.
Some go to the North Pole, and get a reply from Santa, some go to volunteers who go through them, and try to find the needy kids, or kids in some sort of difficulty, some go to organizations who volunteer to help, and some, sadly, got thrown away. My Dad used to work for the post office, too, many years ago, and that is what he told me, that his office tossed them.
I hope mine went to the North Pole, I really need a new Pontiac! and as the song sung by Freddie Mercury [of Queen fame] says, Pontiac, please! If Ertha Kit can ask for a light blue convertible, I can ask for a red Pontiac, Santa Baby!

Answer 3

The USPS will usually have postal workers or volunteers come in and read the letters as the true address of Santa isn't known (if he does actually exist).

In some cases the letters are answered by the volunteers if they are able, usually by donations of time or money.

Answer 4

Do you bear in mind the Johnny Carson exhibit on past due night time TV? He used to mention once in a while that he could pass to the publish workplace and so they could deliver him a few letters to Santa so he would reply them. Apparently they will do this for any grownup. He continually stated that wealthy youngsters stated gimme, gimme, gimme, and deficient youngsters requested for whatever for anyone else.

Answer 5

My post office distributes them to people and organizations that
volunteer to share xmas spirit with the writers
by answering thes letters in some way by mail.
I did it last year and benefitted greatly myself.

Answer 6

Someone has a provision for those letters.
I Cr 13;8a
12-18-6

Answer 7

My Dad works for the Post Office and he says that they just throw them all away. That is so sad! I hope not ALL post offices do that! :(

Answer 8

some of the letters go to the newspapers or else there would be no way they could get published in the christmas eve edition of the newspapers around the country.

Answer 9

it actually all goes to a post box, called North Pole, where each government has set up to redierct and send replies back or most likely simply to recycle.

Answer 10

Sends them to organizations who respond to the child. I have 11 of them.