Elves are happy again after reversal of decision about letters to Santa Joy at North Pole

By: JournalNow Staff | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: November 22, 2009

Wide-eyed children around the world will be hearing from Santa's "elves" at the North Pole after all.

During Christmas seasons for decades, these dedicated elves responded to thousands of letters addressed to "Santa Claus, North Pole."

All that was ending with a U.S. Postal Service decision to discontinue the program based in the small Alaskan town amid privacy concerns.

The elves from Santa's Mailbag vowed to fight the decision, while North Pole residents voiced outrage.

People in North Pole, a town of about 2,100, were disappointed at the notion of losing a beloved holiday tradition. The town prides itself on its Christmas identity.

A reversal of the postal service's decision was announced Friday.

"We never wanted to spoil people's Christmas," said agency spokesman Ernie Swanson. "It was just a decision we had to make based on privacy concerns, and it is labor-intensive. But it's still nice that we're able to resume this and still make people's holiday."

The letters will now be answered under tightened privacy rules that the Postal Service implemented nationwide in response to security concerns that arose in a similar program in Maryland last year when a postal worker in Maryland recognized a registered sex offender as a volunteer in its Operation Santa program.

The worker intervened before the individual could answer a child's letter, but the agency viewed the scare as a reason to tighten security.

"It's great!" said chief elf Gabby Gaborik of Santa's Mailbag.

The group also has been assigned a specific address that will allow its volunteers to run their own alternative program, bypassing the stringent new rules and perhaps lessening the Santa-letter load for the postal service. The restrictions don't affect privately run letter efforts. Children can write to Santa through that program at: 1 Santa Claus Lane, North Pole, AK 99705.

At least 100 volunteers are expected to help in both letter efforts, Gaborik said.

Members of Alaska's congressional delegation hailed the decision to resume the postal service program, which brings in as many as 150,000 letters to Santa from children worldwide."