Annual letters to Santa in this week’s issue

Historians believe the American tradition of children writing letters to Santa Claus may have been spurred by two factors in the late 19th century. According to Smithsonian, postal workers started hand-delivering and collecting mail at homes in the 1860s, meaning people didn’t have to trudge to the post office anymore, and in the 1870s, Thomas Nast published illustrations in the widely-read Harper’s Weekly showing Santa sorting through letters at home, and of a young boy dropping a letter to Santa at the North Pole into a mailbox.

Regardless of how the tradition began, letter writing to Santa has been a time-honored tradition around the world.

Many of those letters are sent through the post office. USPS began receiving letters to Santa Claus more than 100 years ago, according to usps.com. In 1912, Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock authorized local postmasters to allow postal employees and citizens to respond to the letters – a program that eventually became known as Operation Santa.

In the 1940s, mail volume for Santa increased so much that the postal service invited charitable organizations and corporations to participate by providing written responses and small gifts. Through the years, the program grew and took on a life of its own. Today, customers can go online to browse through the letters and if one touches them, they can adopt it and help the child have a magical holiday.

Children also have been sending their gift request letters to the Jolly Ole Elf to be printed in the Ohio County-Times News for decades, and this year is no exception. See their Santa Letter section in this week’s edition to find out what the children of Ohio County want for Christmas this year.

Here are just a few of the letters we received this year. The letters can be found in Section B this week.

Dear Santa, My name is Baila. I am 7 years old. I live in Centertown. This year, I have been really good. I would really like it if you could bring me: A puppy, a pretty American Girl doll, tickets to go on an airplane, a vacation to Disney and anything else you may want to bring me. Thank you and Merry Christmas! Love, Baila

Dear Santa, I like Christmas. I’ve been good. I help my mom a thousand times. I want a stuffed monkey and a 4-wheeler and a King Kong toy and I want a Minecraft game. Thank you. Love, Payton Calloway

Dear Santa, How is it going at the North Pole? I hope you the elves, and reindeer are doing well. This year for Christmas I would like mystery box. Love, Desmond

Dear santa cluaus How are the elfs How are the ranDeer Thank you for yor business I wont a arsex car and naf gun an a xbox new seres the x. Your friend, Emerson