Christmas came early for a few folks in Rutland, Vermont.
A local newspaper there recently reported that they received a card sent to them by a mystery “elf” saying he intended to give away $600 to random residents during the holiday season.
Sure enough, a few days ago a woman told reporters she was approached by a man she didn’t know as she exited a local Wal-Mart. According to the woman, the mystery man handed her an envelope which contained a Christmas card and $50 in cash.
In the days since, the Mystery Santa has reportedly showed up at several other local businesses and handed out more cash-filled cards.
Lucky recipients say the card includes a note that encourages them to “open their heart.”
Ho, ho, ho!
Now, on to a Santa story that made my stomach hurt.
Canada’s post office recently had to end its popular “Write to Santa” program because a “rogue elf” wrote obscene replies to children on behalf of St. Nick.
According to the Ottawa Citizen, at least 10 inappropriate letters were delivered to children who wrote to Santa this year. The cards and wish lists generated by boys and girls throughout North America were sent in care of the North Pole, which has a special H0H 0H0 Canadian postal code. A Santa reply squad of more than 11,000 Canada Post employees and volunteers write back to each child. Now, police are trying to track down which one of them sent the nasty notes to the kids.
Since the program’s inception more than a million letters have been sent in and the Postal Service has replied to each one. However, the program has now been suspended until the offender is caught.
All because of a single sick Santa wannabe…
I’ll end on a brighter note… it’s about another Christmas mailing only this one has a happy ending.
Back in 1914 Ethel Martin’s cousin mailed her a postcard featuring a color drawing of Santa Claus and a young girl, but it took almost an entire century to get to its final destination. The postcard just arrived in northwest Kansas a few days ago.
The Christmas card was dated December 23, 1914, and mailed to Martin’s Oberlin, Kansas address from her cousin who lived in Alma, Nebraska. Martin is deceased, but the post office worker who reportedly found the postcard wanted to make sure a relative of Martin’s received it.
That’s how the 93-year-old postcard ended up with Bernice Martin, Ethel’s sister-in-law. She said she believed the card had been found somewhere in Illinois. However, no one seems to know where it spent most of the last century or how it stayed in such good shape.
According to Beatrice Martin, the original postcard was placed inside another envelope with modern postage (to make up for the one-cent postage of the early 20th century) and is now being proudly displayed in her home.
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