I have always wanted to go to the US Postal Service and see what they do with all of those Letters to Santa they received. I thought maybe I could ask for a couple, and I would be able to play Santa. I thought surly they would just hand over a child's Letter to Santa to me. In the movies I've watched over the years, especially the Hallmark Christmas movies you get warm and fuzzy story lines of what the Christmas spirit is all about, so I got really excited and wanted to make a difference, maybe help out a family.
This week my husband and I said this is the year, we would do what we have said we would do for years. As soon as we made the decision to do this the wheels in my mind were turning, what would the child write, what would they ask Santa.
First of all, I was so disappointed. Why you say, it is the most charitable act anyone would want to do, how could you be disappointed.
For one thing you can't just walk into a US Post Office and ask for a Dear Santa letter, NO you have to go online and register to "adopt" a letter. Not being a quitter, I told my husband, okay, we'll register online, and the Post Office would forward the Santa Letter to us, NO. You register on their "Operation Santa" website, then you have to "verify" your identity (as if you are going to abscond with the letter or something. Okay I can do this...I registered and verified my identity.
I sat at my computer and began to review the process. The Santa letters are opened and scanned into the computer which meant the letters were reviewed prior to posting. then all you have to do is filter by state, easy enough. I begin to read each letter to Santa, which has the child’s first name and seemed to have their age on most. The first letter I read was from a 13-year-old.
It read Dear Santa, I've been a good boy, and I would like the following (Are you sitting down?) A trip to Disney World, a Four-Wheeler, and an Apple phone. I was so taken aback I looked at my husband and said, "what the heck". But I didn't give up. Next letter was written by the parent saying they were a single parent, and his kids would like Barbie Dream House, Barbie Corvette, and Apple Phone and an Oculus. One after another they became more disappointed. Sally wanted an American Girl doll; Johnny wanted the latest new electronic games. My disappointment was overwhelming.
What I was thinking, I thought I would see letters like Dear Santa, my mother is working very hard, and it would make me very happy if you could get her a new pair of slippers. No, not even close most letters were either written by parents or they were from older kids except for one. The letter simply said Dear Santa, if you had a moment, I would like Pokémon cards and perhaps if it's not too much trouble a Lego set. I know you’re busy, but this is all I would like. I read and read it again and thought to myself this is nice. I was going to adopt this kid’s letter. Not to fast...someone beat me to it.
This process is not over for me, I’m hopeful I will find a letter that I can buy into. I'm disappointed that even Santa Letters have become so self-serving and most of all being written by parents. You can tell immediately who wrote what.
I'll keep you posted!
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