Predators Play Grinch, But Not In Canada

By Marcus Gilmer in Miscellaneous on Nov 19, 2009 10:40PM

In a sign of the batshit crazy times we live in, the U.S. Postal Service is cutting way back on the popular service where volunteers answer letters to Santa Claus out of fears of sexual predators getting their hands on the addresses of children who just want a new bike for Christmas. The AP (via NPR) explains:

Last year, a postal worker in Maryland recognized an Operation Santa volunteer there as a registered sex offender. The postal worker interceded before the individual could answer a child's letter, but the Postal Service viewed the episode as a big enough scare to tighten rules in such programs nationwide.

Bummer. The Operation Santa program was actually temporarily suspended last year in NYC and here in Chicago due to predator fears. Now, the USPS has a complicated process that redacts the names and addresses of the letter-writers and uses codes for the post office to know where to send the letters. If it sounds overly-complicated, it's because it is. So much so that it's up to local post offices whether or not they even bother with such a thing anymore. Such restrictions have led to a chain of events that likely means letters that wind up in North Pole, Alaska - which is where many generically addressed letters to Santa end up - will go unanswered.

But it seems the Canadian Post isn't worried about such matters and you can still send letters to Santa through his Canadian bureau.

Santa Claus
North Pole HOH OHO
Canada

See what they did there? We have no idea if Santa's Canadian office will reply to letters from American children, but it's nice to think they would. If one of you tries it out, let us know.