VOA常速英语:“精灵义工”代圣诞老人回信

Welcome to Santa Claus, Indiana.

Though the town may be 6,000 kilometers south of the North Pole, the residents are some of Santa’s best helpers.That’s because every year, they get nearly 25,000 letters for the jolly Old Elf and they answer every one of them.

“From the earliest we know is that the postmaster started answering letters in 1914 that children wrote.”By 1930, the postmaster was overwhelmed.When head of Pat Koch’s father heard, he organized local veterans, the American Legion,area clergy and the high school typing classes into the first volunteer letter-writing elves.Pat started helping just a little over a decade later.

These days, the elves send out one of four form letters that bear positive messages about sharing,being good, and helping others.But they also include a personal note. “We never promise anything, and we never admonish anybody, we just encourage.”

Letters arrive year round, but the bulk of them come in November and December. Chief Mail Elf Ed Rinehart believes there isn’t a country they haven’t heard from. And the U.S. Postal Service ensures that the letters get to Indiana no matter the address.

“They come in the mail and that’s all they have on them --- ‘Santa’.Some of them say ‘Santa, North Pole’.Some of them say ‘the guy in the big red suit’.”Other times, letters arrive from small children without a stamp or just a sticker in the corner.

While they try to answer every letter, the elves are saddened when no return address is included.Their research team tries to track the letters by post marked zip code, but sometimes even that’s not enough.So they encourage parents to always check for return addresses before letters are mailed.

This year, Hatchimals, iPhones, puppies, and ponies are all big requests from children.But there are plenty of requests from adults too.Young people in China ask to do well on exams or get into university.“We’ve had some adults that have asked for a diamond ring or a husband, we’ve had adults you know that ask for healing.”

The elves of Santa Claus never dreamed their good deeds would get so much attention.Despite suggestions that people pay for the letters from Santa, they hold firm in their commitment to continue the service for free.“Everything that happens, happens because there are good people who care about the real Christmas spirit and the real meaning of Christmas.”

For VOA News, Erika Celeste in Santa Claus, Indiana.