|
||||||||
  |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Santa, elves answer mail on webcam
By Ashley Jennings
(CNN) -- Letter carriers from the United States and Britain pitched in this holiday to help Santa respond to thousands of children's letters. Thanks to the British mail service, cyber surfers could even log on to watch Santa and his Elves answer mail. The U.S. Postal Service also helped fulfill gift requests, buying bikes and Barbie dolls and even putting a new roof over one child's house. Each year, USPS workers process between 18,000 and 25,000 Santa letters, a spokesman said. District post offices sort the letters and respond to them individually, sending some to Anchorage, Alaska, where they get a special "North Pole" cancellation stamp. A recent reply read: "Your letter arrived, to my delight. I read each word by candlelight. ... And here is the special wish that I send. Peace on earth, and good will toward men. Love, Santa." Angel program helps SantaKnowing how busy Santa is, local USPS workers try to do their part by working with area businesses through the "Angel Program" to buy gifts for needy children. "We are very much Santa's helpers in delivering letters and gift requests. Its just a way to help out," said USPS spokesman Michael Miles. In Britain, the Royal Mail is helping Santa keep up with technology by installing a webcam. During selected times every day viewers can peek into Santa's workshop by visiting www.royalmail.com/santamail. Santa's workshop is filled with children's letters and drawings. Site visitors might even see Santa checking his list twice. Santa's site also provides profiles of Santa and his elves and a photo album page where you can save images and post comments. Virtual visit to 'Reindeerland'Last year over 200,000 Santa-seekers watched his webcam, a spokesperson for the British post office said. This year, Santa's mailbag was expected to swell to more than 750,000 letters -- and those are only from children who write to him via the British Royal Mail, the spokesperson added. Most of the letters request the usual: dolls, video games and bicycles. But a few stand out. "Please can I have a huge train set that will carry my hamster around the house?" one boy wrote. Another child asked for a gift for someone else: "My teacher would like a new husband." For those kids who want to visit Santa in person, a Royal Mail spokesperson advised them to log on instead. "Reindeerland is a very long way to go. Only Santa and his elves are allowed in his workshop. Otherwise it would spoil the surprise for children seeing their presents before the big day."
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
