Dear Père Noël!: Where 1,000,000 French Children Write Every Year 0 41

The secretariat of Père Noël (the French counterpart of Santa Claus) has traditionally opened at the post office in the town of Libourne in Gironde.

For 60 years, the gnome assistants of Père Noël have been responding to letters that come from all over the world.

Any child, and even an adult, can write a letter; it does not require a stamp. The main thing is to remember to include their address on the back to receive a reply. The gnome assistants accept correspondence until December 20.

This wonderful tradition began in the 1950s when two postal workers disobeyed orders from management to destroy children's letters to the winter wizard. They decided to respond to them instead, defying the directive.

In 1962, the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications officially established this service, the secretariat of Père Noël. Post office managers were asked to cooperate.

Maintaining the confidentiality of the correspondence, the "gnomes" shared some details about the children's messages. They usually start with the greeting "Dear Père Noël!"; then some children ask about the old man's health, hoping that he is doing well. Following that is a list of gift requests, and often children include cutouts from catalogs to ensure the winter wizard does not get anything wrong. But there are also those who ask for non-material things: more love and peace in the family, and sometimes in the whole world.

According to La Poste, the secretariat of Père Noël processes nearly a million letters each year, meaning that a million children receive a reply!

This year, to simplify the sending of letters, special mailboxes decorated in the colors of Santa's Secretariat have been installed in 2,300 post offices across the country. Children can send their letters directly.

Additionally, this year, the Post Office invites children to participate in the "1 letter, 1 smile" campaign and send letters to lonely elderly people. These messages will be delivered to residents of nursing homes to add warmth and comfort to the holiday season.