Every year the United States Postal Service receives thousands of letters to Santa from hopeful girls and boys across America. Usually, those letters are full of requests for things like toys and video games. This year, however, the USPS is noticing that many are sharing much more basic wishes.
“The common theme this year seems to be a single mom with young kids, the parent has left — they don’t know who the father is, or the father left — and they can’t pay the bills,” Pete Fontana, head of the United States Postal Service Operation Santa in New York, told ABC News.
Fontana works in the Midtown Manhattan Post Office that handles most of the letters addressed to Santa from around the world. About two dozen other locations expect the letters, but Fontana is still expecting about 2 million. He’s noticed that most of the wishes this year are selfless, children, and sometimes their parents, asking for help for their families, rather than toys for themselves.
“We had one little girl write in and say all she wants is a winter coat for her mom. Nothing for herself,” he said. “We had another letter for grandparents and they wanted to put a turkey with the trimmings for the holiday dinner … but they couldn’t even get their medicine.”
If you’d like to help grant some of these wishes and help a few needy kids out there believe in the magic of Santa, you can find instructions for participating in Operation Santa Claus here. If there isn’t one in your neighborhood, the USPS asks that you do an internet search for local charities that are helping to grant Christmas wishes.
