Politics & Government
Naughty or Nice — Send Santa a Letter in Stow
Do your children already have their Christmas list started? Put their letter-writing skills to work and send a letter to the North Pole via a mailbox in Stow.
Santa's Mailbox is now open for business outside .
It’s the third year the has set up the festive depository for children’s Christmas-wish missives. As an added bonus, those who include a self-addressed, stamped envelope with their letter will get a reply from the jolly old elf!
Kathy McConnell, assistant recreation supervisor, introduced the Santa’s Mailbox program in 2009 after seeing what a hit it was in other cities. She recruited a “very handy” parks department employee, Walter Grimes, who’s now retired, to create the actual mailbox that sits outside City Hall.
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Since the real Santa Claus is extremely busy this time of year, McConnell organized a band of volunteers at the to serve as his local elves.
“We began doing it for the kids of the community, but it’s also a program where senior adults can be the elves and answer letters. They really enjoy it,” McConnell said.
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Santa’s Mailbox received about 200 letters during each of the past two holiday seasons, with the majority of them arriving in early December. McConnell expects that number to grow now that the program is in its third year.
Every Friday during the holiday season, about six or seven volunteer elves set up a factory of sorts at the senior center to process the letters delivered to them by McConnell.
“Everybody has their own job, like on an assembly line, but when a really special letter is opened they read it out loud and everybody goes, ‘Aww,’” she said.
Most of the letters are simply “big lists of requests. The letters that really touch the seniors are ones where kids talk about wanting something for their parents or their siblings,” McConnell explained. “Or when they’re thankful and say they love Santa. Some of them are just love letters to Santa Claus.”
And some of the letters have been heart-breaking.
“There have been some where kids tell Santa a parent doesn’t have a job or that they had to move and they’re living with grandma,” she said. “We’ve even had some adults put a letter in there – kind of like a wish or a prayer. Nothing specific, but a wish like, ‘Help me this year.’”
McConnell said the seniors can tell by the handwriting that some letters come from teenagers. “We don’t discriminate against anyone,” McConnell said with a laugh.
At least two-thirds of the letters include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Why doesn’t everyone include one?
“Some kids just want the thrill of putting their letter in the box. They don’t really expect a letter back,” McConnell explained.
So tell the kids to get their letters written, then drop them into Santa’s Mailbox anytime between now and Dec. 16. For those who want a return letter, don’t forget to include a legibly written, self-addressed, stamped envelope.
For more information call the at 330-689-5100.