A child’s letter to Santa Claus is far more than a simple missive. It’s a wish, a dream and a Yuletide tradition—a sacred rite of childhood that has been practiced for generations.
Once again this year, Hernando kids enjoy a direct line of communication with Ol’ St. Nick via a very special mailbox that accepts a single form of correspondence: letters to Santa.
This is thanks to Brooksville Main Street hosting its Letters to Santa at the Courthouse campaign.
The centerpiece of this campaign is the tall, stately mailbox that is painted the most merry shade of red and marked “North Pole.” The box can be found at the front of the Hernando County Courthouse, 20 N. Main Street in Brooksville, and on December 7–18, kids can visit the welcoming red mailbox next to the big Christmas tree and insert their letters to Santa Claus.
And although no postage is required for these merry missives, senders must include their return address.
“Santa really responds!” promises an event notice.
Christopher Rhodes, a Brooksville Main Street vice president, created the Letters to Santa at the Courthouse project. “The mailbox idea started two years ago. That would make this the third year of it happening,” Rhodes explained. “I wanted to make sure that the children of Brooksville had a special way to reach the Big Man himself!”
Rhodes shares the credit with a well-known co-coordinator for conceptualizing this new Yuletide tradition. “Now, of course, the magic is all from Santa,” Rhodes emphasizes. “He’s the one who writes these letters back to the children. I just make sure that his mailbox is placed and that the letters get delivered to the North Pole.”
Rhodes also supplies step-by-step directions for kids who wish to send letters to Santa. “This year, if kids want to participate, it’s really simple. All you have to do is write a letter to Santa!
Once that letter is complete, put the letter in an envelope with the return address on the envelope. Put the letter in the North Pole designated mailbox next to the large Christmas tree in front of the courthouse on Main Street and wait for Santa to return the letter! It really is that simple,” he explained.
No stamp is required to safely transport all collected letters to their intended, extremely jolly recipient.
“There’s no need for a stamp because letters to the North Pole don’t need stamps,” said Rhodes. “They just have to make sure that they do so between December 7th and December 18th. They’re more than welcome to continue putting in their letters, but Santa can’t guarantee that their letters will return before Christmas Day.”
Letter writing, in Rhodes’ view, is a lost art, one that could be rediscovered through projects such as Letters to Santa Claus. “Every year, Santa shares some of his favorite letters that children write him. I think it’s really fascinating that in this technological age, there are still kids interested in handwriting,” he said.
Furthermore, Rhodes reveals that many of these young letter writers are very generous in spirit. “Among the letters that Santa chose to share with me, I think it’s really special when kids go out of their way to not only ask for gifts for themselves but also to ask for gifts for others,” he said. “You’d be surprised at the number of kids that don’t ask for PlayStations or smartphones.
There’s a large group of kids out there that ask for health for family members, for happiness at home, and for strong faith.”
For these very special children, Rhodes says, Letters to Santa at the Courthouse is in itself a gift to the children of this county. “I think it’s wonderful that kids have a safe space to express themselves in a way that is truly unique to the Christmas season,” he said.
