Elves Respond to Letters to Santa Claus at Santa’s Mail Room

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Some of the Sixteen Volunteer Elves at Santa’s Mailroom Today With  Letters They Have Answered.

Ray Thornton, Jr., Portland’s Post Master, with Steve Doherty, Communications  Programs Specialist for the Northeast of the  US Postal Service Today.

Grace Thornton, 11, Helps Other Volunteers for the First Time This Year.  (Grace’s Father, Ray Thornton, Jr., is in Left Photo.)

Back in 1912, Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock authorized local Postmasters to allow postal employees to respond to the ever growing number of letters to Santa Claus received every holiday season.  That tradition is still honored every year in Portland and it  was acknowledged today.

About sixteen (16) volunteer elves, on their own time, have been reading and responding to letters to Santa they have received.  To date about 1,000 letters have been received.  Most of them have been responded to, although many did not have return addresses to respond to.

Today is the last day that letters to Santa could be responded to with the expectation they will be received by Christmas.

Please see post herein dated December 22, 2015 for more background on this annual event at the Portland Post Office.

(note: This blogger unfortunately left her notebook with more details in my car at a garage.  Therefore, names of volunteers and other details are not available until tomorrow.  Sorry!)