Time to write to Santa!

[momcqueen]

More than 1.5 million letters expected at Santa’s Post Office

TORONTO (Ont.) – Santa took a brief pause from his workshop in the North Pole this morning to visit patients at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto. While the children were in the midst of writing their letters, Santa took the opportunity to make sure that pencils were sharpened and that everyone knew his postal code – his favourite part – H0H 0H0.

The annual Canada Post Santa Letter-writing Program kicked off for what is expected to be another record year. Already tens of thousands of letters from all over the world have been received at Santa’s North Pole Post Office and postal elves are busy handling the volumes and making sure that each of Santa’s personalized letters are mailed back quickly.

Santa would like to remind the young and young-at-hearts about a few golden rules:

• Don’t forget your H0H 0H0! Santa’s North Pole Post Office has the best postal code!

  Santa Claus
  North Pole H0H 0H0
  Canada

• Please include your return address. While Santa knows where your house is, his postal team may need extra instructions, so please include your address to ensure your letter is delivered on time.
• Postage is nice, but not necessary. You don’t need to add a stamp, but Mrs. Claus loves to see stickers.
• Send it soon. Send your letter by December 16 to make sure Santa has enough time to read it and respond to you!

About Santa’s post office
Canada Post’s national Santa Letter-writing Program officially began 34 years ago, though local programs began even earlier. For the past 14 years, the program has averaged one million letters or more a year, and in total answered more than 24.7 million letters. The company extends its sincere thanks to all volunteers.

Source Canada Post Corporation website. Posted on Nov. 19, 2015 by in News Releases https://www.canadapost.ca/web/en/blogs/announcements/details.page?article=2015/11/19/time_to_write_t...

[momcqueen]

This thread is from last year but I fully expect CPC will be doing another announcement tomorrow or Monday at the latest. I will return to the thread with an update if that is the case. It came to mind today because this is my family activity for the evening. My children have a long list of demands. 

[momcqueen]

(Although, thankfully, none of those demands include Hatchimals.)

[momcqueen]

Oh brother. Google lead me astray. https://www.canadapost.ca/web/en/blogs/announcements/details.page?article=2016/11/17/canada_post_gea...

NORTH POLE (Canada) – Every year, kids from across the country write to Santa, and every year, Canada Post works hard to make sure those letters reach the North Pole – and that Santa’s replies reach their destination too. With less than six weeks till Christmas, the letter-writing campaign is under way again.

The national program has been around for more than 35 years, and in that time answers to more than 26 million letters – in more than 30 languages, including Braille – have been mailed.

Connecting with Santa
Please mail letters before December 14 so Santa has enough time to send an answer – don’t forget to include a return address. There’s no need for postage, but make sure to get the special address right:

• Santa Claus
• North Pole
• H0H 0H0
• Canada

Keeping the tradition going
For Nadia Chegrinec, a Canada Post employee, writing to Saint Nick has been a family tradition for a decade. After the Santa Claus parade, her three kids pull out construction paper and write their letter. “And it has to be a real letter, not just a list!” says Chegrinec. Her kids need to ask how Santa’s year has been and wish him well. This is important family time. “I feel as the kids are growing up, our traditions are waning, and that’s one I’d like to hold on to,” says Chegrinec. It’s also a time for the kids to reflect on the previous year.

Nadia is part of a group of six busy moms, called the Canada Post Mom Squad, who all work at Canada Post in various departments. Throughout the holiday season, they will be offering behind-the-scene glimpses of our operations, talking about online shopping, featuring gift ideas from retailers and sharing holiday shopping tips – both online and traditional. You can find the latest Mom Squad activities on Canada Post’s social media channels and at canadapost.ca/magazine.

[momcqueen]

We wrote our letters to Santa last night.

Here's how I imagine other families appear as they write their letters: everyone in their crisp white dress shifts beneath tidy Christmas sweaters gathers around the kitchen table, sipping hot coca, while listening to carols under the twinkling holiday lights. Lovely penmanship, tidy, sweet illustrations.

Here's what my family looks like as we write our letters: everyone jostling for space at the kitchen table, fighting over the ample supply of paper and pens and yelling about who touched who's toy flyer first. Spilling milk. Pantless toddler sitting on mom's lap, biting her chin as she tries to write while scribbling over everything on the paper in front of him. Listening to the shrill sounds of, "That's mine! Give that to ME!" as a 48-pack of markers is pushed from the tabletop and scatters across the floor. Penmanship that looks like an SOS written in blood on a cement wall. Family self-portrait enclosed in the letter but we all have been drawn with beards and moustaches ("Just like Santa!") and that means a bearded mother and teenage sister too. 

If Canada Post employees held a Worst Letter Ever contest each year, I'd win every time. Hands down.

[i.am.vivian]

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@mjwl2006 wrote:

Here's what my family looks like as we write our letters: everyone jostling for space at the kitchen table, fighting over the ample supply of paper and pens and yelling about who touched who's toy flyer first. Spilling milk. Pantless toddler sitting on mom's lap, biting her chin as she tries to write while scribbling over everything on the paper in front of him. Listening to the shrill sounds of, "That's mine! Give that to ME!" as a 48-pack of markers is pushed from the tabletop and scatters across the floor. Penmanship that looks like an SOS written in blood on a cement wall. Family self-portrait enclosed in the letter but we all have been drawn with beards and moustaches ("Just like Santa!") and that means a bearded mother and teenage sister too. 

---

Then when they're grown up & gone and you are left alone in the hollow stillness of the house as your footsteps seem to echo as you walk quietly through the rooms, you will remember this as the best times you ever had.  I envy you, I miss it.  🙂