Yellig was the quintessential American Santa Claus, spending almost 40 years as the official Santa of Santa Claus Land-in costume at least 300 days each year-and appearing in Christmas parades from New York City to Los Angeles. Santa Claus Land (now Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari) opened in 1946 as the world’s first theme park-Disneyland wouldn’t open its gates for nearly another decade. In 1935, Santa’s Candy Castle opened and an iconic 22-foot-tall statue of Santa was built on the grounds that are now also home to the Santa Claus Museum and Village. Navy during World War I, Yellig had vowed that if he survived the war, he would return to Santa Claus, Indiana, to be Santa Claus-and he now had his opportunity. To Yellig, the town’s name and duty to respond to Santa letters were only a part of his larger personal mission. Brown became inundated with letters protesting the name change, and the Hoosier town was able to keep its name and continue answering letters for years to come. In response, Ripley stepped in again, this time sending a giant, nearly 4-foot-wide postcard in support of the Santa letters.
Brown saw the moniker and the amount of letters it drew as a burden on the small town post office. Even local high school students helped, answering letters in their typing class.Īccording to the Indianapolis Star, the Ripley’s stunt-and the wave of letters that followed-almost resulted in the town being stripped of its beloved name. Benedict from the Monastery of the Immaculate Conception in the neighboring town of Ferdinand. Meinrad Archabbey, and the Sisters of St. More than a million letters poured in that year, but Yellig was well connected and happy to help, enlisting volunteers from the American Legion, seminarians from nearby St. | Photo courtesy of the Santa Claus Museum & Village “The town always received letters from kids, but the year Ripley’s happened there were so many letters that Martin had to ask his friend Jim Yellig for help,” says Nell Hedge, director of the town’s Santa Claus Museum & Village. By 1930, Robert Ripley took notice, featuring Martin and his post office in the popular, internationally syndicated comic strip Ripley’s Believe it or Not. In 1914, then-Postmaster James Martin started writing back, responding to every letter at his own expense in an effort to spread holiday spirit.
| Photo courtesy of the Santa Claus Museum & Village Letters to Santaįor more than 100 years, letters addressed to Santa from all over the world have been routed to southwest Indiana. Santa Claus’ 2020 postmark by Summer Weedman. The team has plenty of extra holiday help-including volunteer elves. “We get busy, but it’s a good busy, and the have been doing this a long time,” says Bailey. The famous post office is the only one in the world with the Santa Claus name, and every December it receives more than 400,000 pieces of mail (compared to 13,000 in other months). She has been with the USPS since 2013, but a position at this particular post office in her own community has always been her goal. “It’s pretty cheerful in here,” says Postmaster Cheryl Bailey in the midst of her second holiday season. In Santa Claus, Indiana, the post office is a flurry of activity this time of year-and that’s the way the town likes it.
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