Magic mail from the North Pole: How local volunteers kept this exciting tradition alive

There may have been a postal strike, but that did How local volunteers are keeping this exciting tradition alive n't mean that Santa still didn't get his letters to all the good little boys and girls. Thanks to dozens of Canada Post volunteers or "elves" across the country, including several here in Montreal, hundreds of children received personalized letters from the North Pole, keeping a tradition alive after more than four decades.

"It’s a really sweet thing, and neither sleet nor snow nor strike will keep us from replying to the letters," said postal worker and one of the lead elves in NDG, Lorraine Muller. This is her fourth year helping reply to Santa letters. Because of this year's Canada Post strike, they set up a special red mailbox (built by a local NDG resident) on Sherbrooke St. for kids to drop off their letters.

“Santa replies to each letter, and he is nice enough to leave us room at the bottom to personalize it and put a little message," said Muller. "We’ll use their names, or reference something they said about a pet or special toy they want. We know our customers who we care deeply for, and this is part of the job that makes it a beautiful interaction between us and the public. We watch the children grow and we build a rapport, and we really surprise the kids with things we write and know about them. We uplift and encourage family time, play, and magic, and it’s really a feel-good thing for everybody.”

Writing letters to Santa Claus has been a time-honoured tradition in Canada that was “formalized” in 1982 when the unique “H0H 0H0” postal code was created for the big man himself. Since then, Canada Post has been preparing reply letters to all the children who write to this festive northern address. The only other “H0” postal code is for a tribal reserve that is located on the U.S.-Canada border.

Despite the strike, postal workers across Canada intercepted letters written to Santa to ensure they were replied to. In between picketing, Muller was penning the notes and delivering them, too. “I think it’s a really important tradition to have,” she said. “I find it to be something that is really special and touching, and I get a lot of great feedback too. When I was a child, it was a magical time of year where you felt like anything could happen. You realize that you’re really doing something special not just for the children but for the parents too. It makes it all that much more meaningful.”