Letters to Santa Claus available

Santa is now collecting letters written to him by local children.

Fire Chief Phil Gridley, designated by Santa to be his head elf locally for helping answer mail to the North Pole, is checking the Santa's Mailbox set up outside of the Mountain Home News office every day now.

Letters collected from the mailbox will be personally answered and, if appropriate full and complete street addresses are placed on them, Santa's answering letter will be delivered in the weeks before Christmas by local firemen (P.O. addresses cannot be delivered).

"We need a physical address if we are to deliver the responses," he explained. If a P.O. box number is listed, children should add their phone number so directions to their home can be obtained.

Gridley also asked that families with more than one child bundle the letters in the same envelope, in order to help the elves organize their trips to the homes.

The final deadline for delivery in the mailbox is noon on Wednesday, Dec. 20. Letters will be delivered on Dec. 13 and 20.

The mailbox should be used only for deliveries to the North Pole. Only Santa will pick them up, NOT the post office.