US Postal Service Taking Heat For Becoming Grinch!
Posted: Friday, November 20, 2009
by Stephany Springer
Every year, children sit down to write their letters to Santa, the man in red that is known for bringing presents on Christmas Eve night.
The letters all addressed to the north pole have become part of a holiday tradition for millions of children in the world.
This year those children will not get a response to their letter. The U.S. Postal Service is dropping a the national program that began in 1954 in the small Alaska town of North Pole, where volunteers open and respond to thousands of letters each year. The replies are sure to be authentic as they come from the North Pole postmark.
The US Postal Service contends they are canceling the service out of safety for the children. Last year in Maryland, a sex offender was found volunteering for the Operation Santa program in the state. That was enough to cancel the program until changes in security can be made.
Unfortunately, the North Pole post office does not have the means to change in this amount of short time.
Kids can still send letters to Santa Claus. The Postal Service still runs the giant Operation Santa Program in which children can have their letters to Santa answered, and the restrictions do not affect privately run letter efforts.
What will change are the generically addressed letters to "Santa Claus, North Pole" that for years have been forwarded to the Alaska town. That program will stop.
As parents what do we do to keep this tradition alive. Obviously, the North Pole return address is no longer an option.
Last year, I introduced my kids to the internet form of letter writing. Visit www.emailsanta.com and receive an instant reply complete with a printer friendly option. It is all for free and there is no postage cost at all.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)I think they changed their minds about this! Good news! Marijo
Yes, the day after you posted this, the Postal Service caved in to all the public displeasure with their decision to cut the program. Alaskans got the support of both their democratic and Republican representatives and convinced the postal service to come up with a plan so they could keep the program going! As Marijo says, "good news for the children!"Sandra
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