“Dear Santa, I love you. Thank you for my gift last year. I lost my 1st tooth. Our old cats died, but we have new cats to love. Can you bring us any firewood? Love, Amelia.”
“Dear Santa, My name is Ava. My father lost his job this year. I want Christmas Barbie (black with black earrings) and some books. I like reading, so my Granny keeps my things at her house. I hope I get rain boots too.”
“Dear Mrs. Claus, I’ve always wanted to know what is it like being married to Santa? How did you guys meet?”
Once upon a time, letters like these ended up in the U.S. Postal Service’s dead letter office, where they eventually were thrown out. But one day 35 years ago a big-hearted woman named Elma Ramirez, who ran the USPS Consumer Affairs Office, discovered a box of them and started reading. And the more she read, the more she couldn’t put them down.
Touched by what the letters revealed, she said to herself, “Somebody really ought to answer them.” So she did — as many as she could. The next year she was joined by her fellow workers, and a lot more got answered.
The year after that, she got a call from a newspaper reporter — this one, in fact — who was wondering what happens to children’s letters to St. Nick, and a beautiful tradition was born. Every year, this paper prints some of the funniest and the most touching letters and invites the public to answer them.
“You don’t necessarily have to send the child a present,” says Marygrace Cruz, who assumed the reins of the Consumer Affairs Office after Ramirez retired in 2011. “They’re so grateful that somebody cares.”
On the other hand, if you’re moved to send a present, nobody’s going to stop you.
Hundreds of these letters are already waiting for you to answer them, and more keep pouring in every day at Santa’s Mailroom in the West Oakland Post Office, aka North Pole South. There, Cruz and her elves — Andrew Barva, Sandra Rodriguez, Emma Espinoza, Emily Harper, Cynthia Joshi, Kirandeep Sekhon, David Tachibana, Annie Twitty, Veronica Valeriano, Louella Borja, Rowena Igtiben, Tina Staley, Christine Viuray, Carla Jackson, Carolyn Brandon, Joseph Seaman, Angelita Custudio, Alyce Davis, and Lead Elf Rolanda Center — toil away, preparing the letters for your perusal.
To find out how you can join this heartwarming tradition, call the Santa Hotline at 510-874-8718 and leave a message. Somebody will call you back. In the meantime, here’s what our kids are thinking this Christmas:
“Dear Santa Clause (sic), My name is Aldan. I’m soon to be 13 years old. I’m chubby and not that tall. My friends are taller, and I feel left out. My mother works two jobs and really tries to give me what she can to put a smile on me. My cousin is 12 months old, and his mom is young and can use some help. I don’t ask for much for us, but a nice gift and a visit would be nice. We always try to make the best of it. Clothes, games, toys — anything, Santa. Merry Christmas.”
“Dear Santa, Please stop bullying and can you please give me a real cat? Please, please, please with sprinkles on top? Love, Joseph”
“Dear Santa, How hard you work! Do the kids like you, Santa? Well, I like you, Santa. So eat your cookies and milk. I hope Rudolph is good and his nose is bright. Happy Christmas, Santa Claus.”
“Dear Santa, How are your reigndears (sic) doing? This year I am 5 years old. Have I been good? I hope so. How are you feeling, Santa? This year I would like a breathing cat. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. Love, Lilliana.”
“Dear Santa, I hope you are having a great Christmas. My name is Daisy. This year, I would like you to bring me a 24 oz. hidro flask and the color light blue. And if you can’t, you can get me whatever you want. Thank you, Santa. I hope you get to read this.”
“Santa, I am gonna give you a dollar for you to by (sic) your cookies. You are the best Santa. I hope you have a really good time. I love you, Santa. You are the best. From Pence.”
“Dear Santa, This year is going to be great, and I am so excited! I am so sorry for some times (sic) me and by brother fight. We try very hard. I would like for Christmas a big dirt bike and a snowbored and an ATV. If you could get me one of those things I would be so happy! Please right (sic) me back. I need to ask you another question, but you need to right me. Love, Madison.”
“Dear Santa, Santa I have a few questions for you. How do you squeeze down chimneys? How fast do the reindeer fly? What are they fueled on? Do elves ever sneak a ride on your sled? Who invents the new toys in your workshop? Do you get a lot of letters? Do you really eat all the cookies at everyone’s house? Have you ever accidentally forgotten to go to someone’s house? If you had to be in charge of any other holiday besides Christmas which would you choose? Do you have any other pets besides reindeer? Do you consider the reindeer to be your pets? Has anyone left you anything besides cookies, peppermint sticks, milk or vegetables for the reindeers? What’s your favorite toy? Is it cold up in there in the North Pole? Santa thank you so much for all that you do. Love, Avery. P.S. — Please write me back the answers to my questions.”
“Dear Santa, I miss you. Love, Kylie. Am I on the nice list?”
“Dear Santa, For Christmas this year I want some legos and nerf and bablades. To be nice I will leave a snack for you and Rudolph. On Christmas we will be gone, so go to Donna and Cliff’s house. Well, I’m done with my letter, so I have to say happy holiday and a happy new year!”
“Dear Santa, My name is Samantha. I am 6 years old, and I want a doll house. I really want it because I told Santa last year, but I don’t think you got the message. I hope you get the message this year. I also wanted a doll.”
(Not taking any chance of her request falling through the cracks again, Samantha sent Santa the same message twice, word for word, in two different letters.)
Martin Snapp can be reached at catman442@comcast.net.
