(Oct. 13, 2016) For the last several years, Santa has had a very busy helper in the Ocean Pines area – Aquatics Director Colby Phillips.
Four years ago, Phillips went online to look into having a letter from Santa delivered to her then 6-year-old daughter, Sadie.
“It was like $20 and I thought that was crazy,” she said. “So I decided that I would help Santa Claus and do it along with him, and I offered it to friends. It just kind of took off from there.”
Three years ago, the post office in Ocean Pines got wind of Phillips’ elf-like tendencies and started forwarding letters addressed to Santa and the North Pole to her. Things, as they say, snowballed from there.
Now, Phillips helps Santa send between 200 and 300 letters each year to children, free of charge.
“I enjoy it,” she said. “I just do it because I see the expression on my own daughter’s face. I get to see all [the letters] and I’ve got to tell you, it’s pretty cool. It’s kind of nice to read the innocence of children and see all that magic. I’m glad that I get to play a part in sharing that.”
She added that responses to mailed Christmas wish lists “don’t promise any electronics or puppies.”
To receive a letter, email Santaphillips@yahoo.com and include the name of the child and the mailing address. The effort is lot limited to Ocean Pines – Phillips said she receives requests from as far away as Colorado and California.
Each child will receive a personalized letter addressed to them at the residence “where Santa will be visiting.”
The deadline is Dec. 1, and letters are mailed during the first week of December.
“The letter itself is a generic letter with the exception of the personalization to the child and the state that Santa is visiting them in. It’s just a matter of making sure the label matches the letter, and I put glitter in there and Santa sent me a North Pole stamp,” she said. “It’s a lot of detail so it takes me a little time, but I really enjoy it. It brings a lot of joy to me and I like spreading it, especially around the holidays. Santa has a lot on his plate, so I’m just helping answer all the letters.”
Four years ago, Phillips went online to look into having a letter from Santa delivered to her then 6-year-old daughter, Sadie.
“It was like $20 and I thought that was crazy,” she said. “So I decided that I would help Santa Claus and do it along with him, and I offered it to friends. It just kind of took off from there.”
Three years ago, the post office in Ocean Pines got wind of Phillips’ elf-like tendencies and started forwarding letters addressed to Santa and the North Pole to her. Things, as they say, snowballed from there.
Now, Phillips helps Santa send between 200 and 300 letters each year to children, free of charge.
“I enjoy it,” she said. “I just do it because I see the expression on my own daughter’s face. I get to see all [the letters] and I’ve got to tell you, it’s pretty cool. It’s kind of nice to read the innocence of children and see all that magic. I’m glad that I get to play a part in sharing that.”
She added that responses to mailed Christmas wish lists “don’t promise any electronics or puppies.”
To receive a letter, email Santaphillips@yahoo.com and include the name of the child and the mailing address. The effort is lot limited to Ocean Pines – Phillips said she receives requests from as far away as Colorado and California.
Each child will receive a personalized letter addressed to them at the residence “where Santa will be visiting.”
The deadline is Dec. 1, and letters are mailed during the first week of December.
“The letter itself is a generic letter with the exception of the personalization to the child and the state that Santa is visiting them in. It’s just a matter of making sure the label matches the letter, and I put glitter in there and Santa sent me a North Pole stamp,” she said. “It’s a lot of detail so it takes me a little time, but I really enjoy it. It brings a lot of joy to me and I like spreading it, especially around the holidays. Santa has a lot on his plate, so I’m just helping answer all the letters.”