First off, if you think it's a crime against humanity to let your child believe in Santa Claus, you can stop reading. This post isn't for you - it's for parents who believe young kids' blurring of the line between fantasy and reality is a precious thing, and that they won't hate us when they learn the truth, because it didn't bother us much, either.

OK! Now that we're down to the mythmakers, let's get down to business.

Want your child to get a letter from Santa this year? You have a couple of good options - do a little research on your local post office's handling of letters to Santa, or write a letter yourself "from Santa" and send it out to be sent back to your child with one of many (real) Santa-like postmarks. You also have one (in our opinion) bad option: Paying someone to send your child a letter. Considering the pitfalls of the subcontracting approach (paying $10-$20 for a letter which may or may not come through in time, and which requires you to submit a lot of personal information about your child, complete with home address, to a complete stranger) this is a case where a little DIY effort can go a long way.

How to send a letter to Santa, and what might happen to it

Local post offices handle all mail sent to Santa, and your local branch just might answer it with a form letter purporting to be from the jolly old soul, or have arrangements with a local charity do it for them. Call your local post office to find out what they do with letters to Santa. You can look up the phone number for your local post office online.

George Marsh of the Los Angeles Post Office also told us that many post office branches sort out letters from families who appear to be in serious need - as evidenced by requests for things like clothes and blankets rather than, or in addition to toys - and pass on those with valid return addresses to local charitable groups, who will provide gifts for as many of these families as they are able. How cool is that? If you work with an organization that would like to take on this task in your community, get in touch with your local post office.

How to send your child a letter from Santa

Various services sell "Letters From Santa" mailed with a North Pole (Alaska) postmark. The post office began this service in 1953 and offers it at no cost; all you have to do is supply the letter.

Here's how to do it:

1. Write your letter from Santa. Be vague about the gifts - keep those kids guessing! - and throw in something about having to go feed the reindeer, etc. etc. to give the letter an authentic touch. Request a treat you'd like to be rewarded with. The older your child, the more you should consider such details as paper and handwriting (older yet still-Santa-believing kids might be suspicious if they recognize your writing style).


2. Put the letter in an stamped envelope, addressed to your child.


3. Place the envelope into a larger, properly-stamped envelope addressed to: North Pole Christmas Cancellation/Postmaster, 5400 Mail Trail, Fairbanks, AK 99709-9998. Or address your outer envelope to the Postmaster of any of a number of cities with seasonally relevant names, and label your package "Holiday Greeting Card Re-Mailing." A few of our favorites are listed below.


4. Mail your letter before Dec. 15, or even earlier to be on the safe side. The post office is anticipating the need to process over a million letters to Santa this year.

Cities Santa might vacation in and send your child a letter from

• Antlers OK 74523


• Christmas FL 32709


• Frost TX 76641


• Holly CO 81047


• Joy IL 61260


• Mistletoe KY 41351


• Noel MO 64854


• North Pole NY 12946


• Rudolph OH 43462


• Santa Claus IN 47579


• Snowflake AZ 85937

The Postal Service has been performing various Santalike functions since they were first authorized to do so in 1912. That's a lot of holiday cheer!