Wish Lists

Dayna Robinson, the coordinator of Canada Post’s Santa Letter Writing Program, on popular toys, requests for peace and the meaning of Saint Nick

- Courtney Shea

How long has Canada Post been answering letters sent to Santa?

For 37 years. In that time, our North Pole office has responded to almost 30 million letters. We’ve written back in 39 different languages and Braille.

Who is “we,” exactly?

Santa gets help from thousands of volunteers, a.k.a. “postal elves.” They are Canada Post employees, some of whom return from retirement just for this. Many have a tradition of getting together to do their work in groups over breakfast.

What do the letters to Santa say?

Most start with, “How are you? How was your year?” Kids also have a lot of questions, which we try to answer. Some want to know if it’s true that Rudolph flies, if Mrs. Claus is doing okay and whether Santa would like a healthier snack.