Urbandale Women Write Letters for Santa

Big changes at the North Pole this year: Santa is getting so much mail from children, he's had to go to a form reply letter for the first time this year.

It's a little secret leaked last week by volunteer elf (Darlene Freeman) and Mrs. Clause (Joy Bridenstine), both of Urbandale. 

For five years, these two women have been writing Santa's replies to letters from children across the United States and Canada.

They are among about a dozen volunteers who spend two to three full days each December to reply to all the letters to Santa that are forwarded to the main post office in Des Moines.

Des Moines Post Office Specialty

The Des Moines post office has a rep for being tight with Santa -- it even has the coveted North Pole cancellation stamp -- so other post offices often forward the letters here.

This year, they received about 1,000 letters and sent about that many replies out. The form letter is on special Santa stationary and Freeman notes that elves usually write a personal note on every letter anyway.

Santa tells children that they need to be good all year long, get good grades in school, and mind their parents. The elves try to add a personal note to each child.

"One of the little girls wanted to make sure that Santa woke her up so she could thank me personally and I wrote that I didn't think her mother would appreciate me waking her up in the middle of the night," said Bridenstine.

They also ask questions about Mrs. Claus, like "how she deals with Santa being gone at night like that, and how many cookies she bakes for Santa," said Bridenstine. "I tell them I don't bake them because he needs to watch his weight and the children give him enough."

Children Ask for Santa's Help

Both Freeman, 75, and Bridenstine, 67, are almost professional volunteers.

"We're gone four to five days a week," said Freeman. The two women are cousins and share a house in northeast Urbandale.

However, none of their volunteer activities touches them quite the way this December task does.

"It gives me personal satisfaction to be able to give these children something special during the year. It's a hard time for a lot of families right now. At least by Santa sending them a letter, that gives them a little happiness," said Bridenstine, who has no children or her own.

"So many of the letters this year were 'My mom and dad have both lost their jobs'," said Freeman. "They basically said we have nothing, although not in those words. The children are more concerned and considerate this year." 

"Last year we had a lot of kids who said 'Just bring my daddy back from the war'," she said.

Every year, the letters seem to fall into one of two categories: either the child is worried about something and wants some reassurance or help from Santa, or he or she wants to make sure Santa receives his or her list of toys, said Freeman.

"The only case we make for Santa is that you have to be good, but Santa will come. We don't promise any of the stuff they ask for, naturally, but we say that even if you don't get everything you want, Santa still loves you," said Freeman.