Europe 1 with AFP 10:38 am, November 11, 2021
Each year, children can correspond with Father Christmas, whose secretariat is based in Libourne.
On the envelope, they can simply write "Father Christmas", without forgetting their address on the back, so that Father Christmas and his 50 elves can answer them.
It is a tradition as the end of the year holidays approach.
Children have until December 17 to write to Father Christmas if they want to receive a response, La Poste announced Thursday, which will open its secretariat in Libourne in Gironde.
"With the approach of Christmas, everything becomes possible, even maintaining a correspondence with Santa Claus", notes the public group.
Electronic correspondence possible
On the envelope, children can simply write "Santa Claus", without forgetting their address on the back to be sure of receiving an answer.
It is not necessary to stamp the letter to Santa Claus.
They can also choose the electronic version on pere-noel.laposte.fr by choosing "write to Father Christmas".
Father Christmas and his 50 elves - volunteer postmen and temporary workers - will get to work on Monday, and undertake to respond in two languages (French and English) to all the children and to all the classes who come to him. write.
"Forging first links with writing"
Last year, La Poste received 1.25 million letters intended for Santa Claus, with allusions to containment and the vaccine.
Initiated in 1962, this free "PTT" service had at the time received 5,000 letters from children, who had in return found in their mailbox a standard response written by the famous pediatrician and psychoanalyst Françoise Dolto, who was the sister of Minister of the Post Jacques Marette.
"My darling child, your sweet letter gave me a lot of pleasure. I am sending you my portrait. You see that the postman has found me, he is very smart. I have received a lot of orders. I don't know. if I can bring you what you asked of me. I will try, but I am (very) old and sometimes I make mistakes, you have to forgive me. Be wise, work well. I kiss you hard. The Father Christmas, "he wrote at the time.
"The letter to Santa Claus often allows the child to forge his first links with writing. It is for him a great opportunity to live his first epistolary experience", notes the public group.