Letters from Santa bring Christmas cheer

MANILA, Philippines — For the second year, a non-profit online group has spread Christmas cheer through an exchange of letters between Filipino children, both young and old – and Santa Claus.

Since last week, Santa Claus_PH sent replies to more than a hundred letters and postcards it received from all over the country since July this year.

Santa Claus’ letters contained stickers and handwritten notes on Christmas-themed postcards, placed in an envelope with a special stamp issued by the Philippine Postal Corp. (PHLPost).

This year’s Christmas stamps from PHLPost featured “Mother and Child,” a series of four paintings by Al Perez.

Among those who received Santa Claus’ replies were Grade 1 pupil Anton and Grade 7 student Jasmine, who both live in Taguig City.

Writing to Santa Claus, Anton drew his ideal Christmas setting of a colorfully lit Christmas tree surrounded by gifts, while Jasmine shared “her achievements in school and also the struggles,” they told The STAR.

Both children “believe, admire and love” Santa Claus, a white-bearded Western legendary icon donning red trousers adorned with white fur and believed to be giving away presents.

They received the letters from Santa Claus last Dec. 15. The kids said Santa Claus reminded them “to be happy and good at school, and to be better children of God.”

Santa Claus’ letters came from the post office of Tiwi town in Albay, thousands of miles away from his supposed address in the North Pole, according to tradition.

The children have no idea that Santa Claus’ letters came from Santa Claus_PH’s volunteers composed of professionals, students, housewives and even men in uniform mostly based in Metro Manila and Bicol regions.

One of Santa Claus_PH’s “elves” in his 30s, who refused to be named, shared with The STAR that Santa Claus’ effort to reply to letters sent to him last year, when restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic were gradually lifted, inspired the group to follow suit.

They relied on donations from across the country like Metro Manila, Cebu, Leyte, Pangasinan, Pampanga and Bicol to keep the cause going, for instance to acquire Christmas-themed postcards, stickers and PHLPost stamps.

They chose Tiwi to