Children's letters to North Pole address answered Operation Santa, the 13th annual event whereby the Queen Anne Church of Scientology and members of the Queen Anne community answer children's letters to Santa, is set for Saturday, Dec. 9, from 1 to 5 p.m. in the church chapel at 601 Aurora Ave. N. The epistolary effort, conducted in conjunction with the Queen Anne U.S. Postal District Office, has become a neighborhood tradition.
Decades ago, postal workers around the country took it upon themselves to begin answering children's letters to Santa. Given the deluge of more and more letters and requests, it became obvious that help was needed. Community groups nationwide have taken up the cause, and for many, answering letters is a way to brighten a child's Christmas - and their own.
Many letters to Santa are simply lists of gifts children want, but quite often they will include thoughts for others. For instance, in one letter a little boy wrote, "I think it would be great if you donate the gifts that you were going to give me and give them to kids affected in Hurricane Katrina." Another left it up to Santa to decide: "I just want what you choose, if that's OK." One little girl opined that Santa's job was much more than handing out gifts; in her words, part of Santa's job is to "bring in the Christmas spirit."
In some cases a family is in need of real help: a dad has lost his job, or there's been a divorce or loss in the family and they are in for a tough Christmas. Year after year volunteers try to help these families in need and give them a Christmas they otherwise wouldn't have.
To find out how to help with this project, call Ann Pearce at 284-0604 or e-mail at annrpearce@aol.com.
NOTE TO PARENTS: Make sure your child puts a return address on his or her envelope - otherwise even Santa may have a hard time delivering mail to your house....[[In-content Ad]]
