In Santa Claus, Indiana -- with a population of 2,300 and streets that have names like “Mistletoe” and “Rudolph” -- the holiday spirit is alive all year round. Every year, volunteers in this small town with a big heart -- profiled in the new book Letters to Santa Claus -- answer more than 10,000 letters that have been addressed to “Santa Claus,” “Santa” or even just “The Big Red Guy at Jingle Bells Lane.”
For more than a century, residents have been answering letters from all over the world that have found their way to their “Santa Claus” post office. The executive director of Santa’s Elves, the local nonprofit that now oversees the letter project, estimates that in the past 100 years, millions of letters have poured in from children (and adults) all over the world. In 2014 alone, more than 150 volunteers answered approximately 15,000 of them.
What do these letters look like? We partnered with Extra Gum to show you some of the wishes, hopes and even instructions that are part of the heartwarming and delightful collection, dating back to the 1930s, showcased in Letters to Santa Claus (Indiana University Press). We encourage you to share them with anyone you want to make smile today, just like the volunteers in Indiana have been doing for generations.
1. Hey Santa, ‘Don’t eat such a big dinner.’
Image: Santa Claus Museum & Village / Indiana University Press
2. The quadrillion-toy question.
Image: Santa Claus Museum & Village / Indiana University Press
3. ‘Christmas is giving.’
Image: Santa Claus Museum & Village / Indiana University Press
4. The pop quiz.
Image: Santa Claus Museum & Village / Indiana University Press
5. The liverwurst sandwich.
Image: Santa Claus Museum & Village / Indiana University Press
6. ‘Don’t forget I love you.’
Image: Santa Claus Museum & Village / Indiana University Press
Extra Gum celebrates the generous men and women of Santa Claus, Indiana, who go out of their way every year to do something small -- yet extraordinarily meaningful -- for others. Because sometimes, it’s the little things that last the longest.