OT - Where do all those letters to Santa go?

To the North Pole, of course!

North Pole, Alaska, that is:

Susan M...

Canadian Santa lives at "The North Pole" with zip code H0H 0H0 :-)
Volunteers sit and write back to the kids who send every letter.

Susan M
Otis and Chester

Adrian A...

I had to look at that zip code for a few seconds before I saw what it said.
:-)

badwilson...

Yes, it's true. Santa is definitely Canadian, not from Lapland. That's
just *wrong* ;-)

Lisa Katt...

The Santa in charge of Europe and Asia lives in Lapland.

The Santa in charge of America lives at the North Pole.

I am not sure about Africa.

And you down under, does your Santa live at the South Pole?

PS - I looked it up, zip code is 99705 :D

Marina...

Here in Finland, we all know that Santa lives in Lapland. :o)

Judging by the language choices on that page, also Brits, the French,
Germans, Japanese and Italians know this.

wafflycat...

Indeed he does. Many a lucky British child and adult gets a winter day trip
(aeroplane) to Lapland to meet with Santa. Me, I would *love* to do it :-)

Christina Websell...

He definitely lives in Lapland because when my brothers were small they
wrote a letter to Santa Claus, Lapland and posted it.
They got a reply.

wafflycat...

And isn't the story of the stranger coming down the chimney on a winter's
night originally from Saami folklore, where a stranger and/or the hairy
wildman enters the home through the hole in the roof of the dwelling?

Marina...

I don't know, but sounds very plausible, considering the traditional
Saami dwellings and their lore (which I know too little about).

wafflycat...

I vaguely remember David Attenborough talking about it in a documentary some
years back.

Jo Firey...

When we moved from Alaska to California, or zip code changed from 99591 to
95991. It took years for friends and family to get it straight. For that
matter it took us a while too.

Lots of our mail made a side trip to Anchorage before being redirected.