A long time Christmas favorite could be on its way out - key word 'could' - if the U.S. Postal Service holds fast to its initial decision to prevent Santa from answering his mail. Not just any mail but personal letters mailed to him at his home in North Pole, Alaska, specificing desired gifts or favors that only Santa can bestow.
The heart of the matter goes back a year when a postal worker in Maryland recognized an Operation Santa volunteer as a registered sex offender and intervened to ensure that no childern ever received any mail. Henceforth, the Postal Service made the decision to tighten the rules, which included the letter to and from Santa program.
Expectedly, people living in the town of North Pole (most likely including some of Santa's helpers)are incensed with the unpopular changes, since the letter program is
People in North Pole are incensed with the change being that it's a revered holiday tradition where light posts are curved and striped like candy canes and streets have names such as Kris Kringle Drive and Santa Claus Lane. Volunteers in the letter program even sign the response letters as Santa’s elves and helpers.
Aw.... That's like...so merry and Christmas-like!
Anyway, the Mayor of North Pole, one Doug Isaacson understands the cautionary move but is incensed that his program should be eliminiated due to a sex offender's action on the East Coast.
Losing the Santa-letter title is a blow to the community of 2,100 people, who pride themselves on their Christmas ties. Huge tourist attractions here include an everything-Christmas store, Santa Claus House, and the post office, where visitors can get a hand-stamped postmark on their postcards and packages if they ask for it.
Santa Claus House, built like a Swiss chalet and chock full of all items Christmas, sells more than 100,000 letters from Santa and one of the lures is the postmark.
Being that this is the season for good turnarounds, there's word that volunteers living in the town have met with U.S. Postal Service officials in an attempt to work out a means in which kiddie's letters to Santa can still be sent to the town.
Children can only hope. And so can the parents.
Here's the home page for North Pole, Alaska:
http://northpolealaska.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
NEWS UPDATE: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21. GOOD NEWS!
Most likely due to strong public outcry, the powers-that-be have decided to re-instate Santa and his letters.
"This decision today by the Postal Service brings the Christmas spirit back to Alaska," Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski said.
Indeed.
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