Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 22
Santa? % Helpers Stare In lie Jty/
(MS) - Thousands of children participate
in the yearly tradition of writing letters to
Santa Claus. While verbiage and style vary,
the same general theme applies: Children
request a host of gifts upon declaring they've
been good little boys and girls.
While the big man in red doesn't have
the time to answer them all, he does have a
legion of willing helpers to take over some
of the work. ?
All over the country, and also in other areas
of the world, local postal workers volunteer
their services toward making sure Santa
letters get read and, hopefully, answered.
Sometimes a gift is also included. In Canada,
there is a special postal code for letters to
Santa Claus. Since 1982, over 13,000 Canadian
postal workers have volunteered to answer
letters to Santa. The \ address of
Santa Claus is given as: Santa Claus,
North Pole, Canada HO HO HO. The
postal code features *\* zeroes for
the O's, sticking with the
. • —<T'\
1 * H
Canadian alternat
ing letter-num
ber format of
/ i
postal codes.
In the U.S.,
one such ,
notable •
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has
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been providing assistance in letter-writing
for years is Operation Santa Claus out of
New York City. According to the organi
zation's official Web site, Operation Santa
Claus began informally in the early 19205,
when New York postal clerks began chip
ping in their own money to buy gifts for
poor kids whose notes to Santa ended up
in the dead-letter office. As the number of
letters grew, the clerks asked for help from
the public.
Today, volunteers stop by the New York
General Post office on Bth Avenue to pick
from the thousands of letters received, most
from disadvantaged children who could use
some cheer around the holidays. Upon writ
ing a response to the child, most spring for
a gift as well. The majority of the let
ters are from
but others A
in from out m
Most are fl
addressed Jj||
Claus;
Claus,
and Santa
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If you're looking for a clever way to inter
act with your children, engage them in a
holiday craft project that they can enjoy!
Making homemade holiday ornaments can
become an annual family tradition. An easy
way to craft ornaments that will last through
the years is to use a simple recipe for salt
dough. Not only is salt dough inexpensive
and easy to make, you probably already
have all the ingredients in your kitchen pan
fry. A perfect way to spend a snowy after
noon or evening in front of the fireplace,
whip up a batch of salt dough using this
simple recipe. Mold it into favorite holiday
shapes (stars, gingerbread men, Christmas
trees, menorahs and more), and let the kids
decorate to their heart's content.
the NY area,
do come
of town,
simply
W to Santa
WSa n t a
J North Pole
Claus, New
W York.
W While most
■ volunteers, who
r vary from parents
to office workers to
corporate execu
§3 tives, make the
ri trip to the post
if office to pick up
f§s letters, postal
volunteers also take the time to send letters to
people in other parts of the country. Many
of them are former New Yorkers
who still want to participate in
this winning tradition.
Other post offices around
the U.S. have started
up similar perations in f j|
their odn local areas
based on the success of ii
Operation Santa Claus in
. New York City. J
Volunteers say C
1 / K
the main motiva- *—' ‘I 1
tion is bringing joy V j /
to children's lives \J/
and reading the
heartfelt words children
express in their letters. One postal employee
remembered a child writing, "I'd like some
thing for Christmas." Anything was fine,
he said, because he "didn't get nothing
last year." Another heartbreaking tale was
from a seven-year-old homeless boy who
lived with his mother and younger sister.
In his letter, the boy indicated that \ he >
didn't need K anything for K
Christmas; \\ t
he could V . 'v'l
take care of \
Himself. He i
just wondered
if Santa could
send some dia
pers and maybe a blan- ■
ket for his baby sis-
f V
Supplies:
4 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 1/2 cups hot
water
Holiday cookie cut- ,
ters {
Decorations: glitter,
paint, beads, ribbon,
glue, etc.
Knead the dough and roll it out to desired
thickness to cut out shapes with cookie cut
ters (just like if you were making sugar cook
ies). Use a straw to poke a hole in the top of
each ornament to create a spot to thread
ribbon through for hanging. Place them on
a microwave-safe plate and microwave on
/ %
’
I
■■ ter.
To become involved with "Dear
Santa" letters, check with your own post
office to see if there is a local version of
Operation Santa Claus. Or you may visit or
contact Operation Santa Claus in New York.
Volunteer postal workers will send you
as many children's letters as you request,
y Write to: Operation Santa Claus, James
v VV A. Farley Building, 421 Eighth Avenue,
\\ )1 Room 3023, New York NY 10199-9998.
IVJ To get "Dear
letters from
■
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mm m?-*'"- i
mm
t, yy
place o r n a -
baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Let the ornaments dry and harden in the
oven for one hour to 1 1/2 hours. Paint and
decorate as desired. Most of all, be creative,
and have a lot of fun!
CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE 2006
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"v
Season
Santa"
the
office,
I the toll
I free number,
r 1-877-840-
0459.
W high for
j about two
minutes.
Or preheat
your oven to
=> 325 F and
ments on a