Anticipating Santa, Part 2: Who Writes to Santa NOW?

While most folks are just beginning to plan their Halloween parties there are hundreds of others sharpening their pencils and writing to Santa Claus at the north pole. As mentioned previously, we wanted in on this tradition and now we’ve got a connection at the north pole who promises to reveal all.

His name is Elf Hugo. (Or so they tell me, it’s not like I could ask him for his government issued ID, eh?). I don’t know if that is his real name or if it is like a code name. I can tell you he is a real person, because I talked to him on the phone. And trust me — he’s the real deal (and a real Patriot’s fan who is very upset about Tom Brady).

“The letters we get at the north pole run the gamut during the season,” Elf Hugo says. “But at this time of year, it is a completely different crowd. There are basically two kinds of letters to Santa right now: questions and deep, burning desires”

“Ooohhh“, I think. “Deep burning desires!” That sounds tantalizing. Yes, Elf Hugo do tell!

“Kids in hard circumstances write early and often,” Elf Hugo said. “For example, a few years back we heard from folks affected in a big way by Hurricane Katrina. It would break your heart to know what these folks wanted. Most just wanted to go home. Many wanted to get something nice for someone who couldn’t get something for themselves. A few are really hard luck stories who want things not even Santa can provide — things like surgery or bringing a lost loved one back to life. It was like that after 9/11 too.”

Oh.

That’s not the kind of burning desire I was thinking of. And I never knew folks took Santa so seriously.

When I was a kid Santa was a rock star — for exactly one day and a night.

Then I pretty much forgot about him. But Hugo swears these people write and they do it in advance of the season — about serious stuff!

Perhaps that is why these days that Santa actually goes to lengths to write back. Sometimes, he has to do his thing well in advance of Christmas and long before he can hitch the reindeer to the sleigh.

For example, at a Los Angeles area hospital Santa visited a little girl with leukemia — in July of this year. Her family, friends, the doctors and the nurses all attending a Christmas party with all the trimmings and a surprise visit from the Big Guy during the heat of summer.

That Santa — he is always on the job. Who knew?

No wonder so many anticipate Santa each Christmas. If he is kind enough to be there in July, what’s not to look forward to come December?

Anticipating Santa, Part 1: Santa Freaks

Early in the morning of every December 24th the major mass media starts to wonder about Santa Claus. But true believers in Santa actually track his activities year round.

True believers know, for example, that Santa hardly ever spends much time at the North Pole during the off-season. In fact, we have it on good authority that Santa actually holds an Elf Convention every October.

Why October?

The Big Guy won’t say. But we find it no coincidence that right after this big event is held the interest in Santa and Christmas starts to build up. And so does the anticipation.

For more than 17 years they’ve been processing mail for Santa online over at My Merry Christmas. They report MORE letters for Santa during the months of October and November than they do in December.

Interesting, isn’t it? Who are these people? And why the urge to write Santa months and weeks ahead of the holiday season?

With all of these questions the folks at My Merry Christmas made us an interesting offer: why don’t we just interview the main mail elf at the north pole as these letters come in? They set it up for us and this is exactly what we will do in the weeks ahead.

Who are these Santa freaks and what do they want of him? Stay tuned.