Yes, writing a letter to Santa is still old-school cool

I wondered if it was still cool for kids to write letters to Santa Claus.

An old-fashioned letter, handwritten on paper, sealed in a paper envelope, with a return address and postage stamp.

I used to write letters to Santa. My late Aunt Marie was a teacher. She made me write one. A few times, I received a response. Other times, well, Santa was busy making all those toys. He didn’t have time to write a reply to every letter from every kid.

I assumed old-fashioned letters to Santa Claus had been replaced by e-mails, texts, social media platforms, even ChatGPT.

I might not have written a letter to Santa myself if technology would have been available to write it for me.

We had a lot more free time back then. We had no technology yet. We had time to write letters. It was a break from homework. We were naïve, also. We were not exposed much to a world beyond our neighborhoods and schools. We were so lucky.

I’ve wondered if anyone wrote letters any more, period. Once, when you were all fired up about a cause or issue, you wrote a letter. A letter was an affirmation of conviction. It was signed, sealed, delivered. You earned temporary celebrity status when your letter to the editor and it was published in the newspaper.

The newspaper called you first for verification. Letters were serious. No fakes, frauds allowed.

Mad at a company or store? I’ll write them a letter.

Want something done in your hometown or neighborhood? I’ll write them a letter.

Taxes too high? Time for a letter.

It did my heart good when I learned the United States Postal Service’s 110-year-old “Operation Santa” program (www.uspsoperationsanta.com) was available, still.

I’m a sucker for Old School, and this fits the criteria.

First, it offers only Santa’s street address: 123 Elf Road, North Pole 88888.

Young letter writers are given the following tips:

• Write legibly
• Include your full name and address in the letter
• List the gifts you want in order of preference
• Be specific about the gifts you’re asking for
• Don’t ask for gifts that might be too expensive
• For a family: Families that send their letters together have a better chance of being posted together! Group all your family’s letters in one envelope and include additional stamps depending on the weight.
• For an organization or classroom: Send each letter individually in its own standard letter-size envelope. Each letter should have a First-Class stamp and a return address that shows where the child will be staying during the holiday, so Santa knows where to send gifts.
• Don’t include any 3D art.
• There is an opportunity for letter “adopters” for anyone who wishes to help grant the wishes of a “Letter to Santa.”

Yes, it’s still cool to write a letter to Santa.

Old-school cool, too.