articles

Where to Send Letters to Santa on the South Shore

By Jennie MacKenzie, a South Shore Mom November 20, 2019

It’s that time of year again! Kids across the country are writing their letters to Santa. Wondering what to do with your child’s letter?  Don’t want to spend a lot of money to get a response from Santa? Here are free or inexpensive suggestions to add to the wonder and enjoyment of the season.


Thank you to Jac's Cafe and Players Sports Bar & Grille in Rockland for sponsoring our Where to Send Letters to Santa column! 

At Jac's Cafe, breakfast is their passion. They use only the finest and freshest ingredients to create breakfast meals that will fill your belly and warm your heart. Go and visit - your taste buds will thank you!

Players Sports Bar & Grille is a state of the art audio and video sports bar with serving American comfort food. They have daily specials for lunch and dinner, the absolute best bar pizza on the South Shore, burgers, steak tips, salads the best deck around!

Find them online at https://www.jacscafe.com/ and http://www.southshoresportsbar.com/, plus follow them on Facebook and Instagram.



Local Businesses

Goodies II, located at 124 Front Street in Scituate, has placed a beautiful red mailbox labeled Letters for Santa, outside of their storefront. This is the second year that owner, Sandra Johnson, is welcoming children to “mail” their letters to Santa in her special mailbox. Last year, Johnson responded to approximately 250 letters. To receive a response from Santa, please make sure to include a clear and complete return address. You may also include a self-addressed, stamped return envelope with your child’s letter, but it is not necessary.  The red mailbox will be outside the store during business hours each day.

Discover Downtown Hingham, will have a red mailbox in Hingham Square to send letters express to Santa at the North Pole. 


Local Post Offices

Here, on the South Shore, our local postal workers are going above and beyond to make sure that your child’s letter to Santa receives a reply. Follow the guidelines below to successfully “mail” a letter to Santa Claus and receive a reply before Christmas.

  • All letters must have a clear return address.
  • Address the letter to: Santa Claus, North Pole.
  • Hand the letter to the postal worker at the post office counter or the postal worker who delivers mail to your house.  Some postal offices will even have a special mailbox in the lobby marked for letters to Santa.
  • Do NOT send the letter through the regular mail. It will get forwarded to Boston and there is no guarantee they will receive a reply.
  • Do NOT use postage. Have the kids draw a stamp or use a sticker instead.
  • The sooner you deliver your letter to your local post office the better, but they may not reply until closer to Christmas Day.
  • Letters that are mailed to close to Christmas Day may not receive a response.
  • Most local branch offices will begin accepting letters the week following Thanksgiving.


Here is the information for the towns this edition covers…

Abington - Accepting letters.

Cohasset – Accepting letters.  

Duxbury - Accepting letters.  A special mailbox will be in the lobby at the Depot St. location. Hand to the clerk at the Washington St. location.

Hanover - Accepting letters.

Hanson - Accepting letters. Using the special mailbox in the lobby is the best option.

Hingham - Accepting letters. Use the main branch on North Street.

Hull - Accepting letters. 

Marshfield - Accepting letters.

Norwell - Accepting letters. Mailing inside your local branch is the best option.

Pembroke - Accepting letters. Using the special mailbox in the lobby is the best option.

Rockland - Accepting letters. Using the special mailbox in the lobby is the best option.

Scituate – Accepting letters.  Mailing inside your local branch is the best option.

Whitman – Accepting letters.


USPS Letters from Santa (One First-Class Stamp)

This year the USPS is offering a campaign called Letters from Santa.  This program involves you writing a response from “Santa” and including it with your child’s letter to Santa. Both letters will be mailed to the postmaster in Anchorage, AK.  The postmaster will then mail Santa’s response to your child so that the envelope will have a postmark from Alaska.  This option is a little bit more involved and does require the parent to prepare everything without their child catching on. However, for some, the authentic postmark might be worth the extra effort.  All letters must be received by the Postmaster in Anchorage no later than December 14th. For detailed directions please visit, http://about.usps.com/holidaynews/letters-from-santa.htm



Click HERE to get a free calendar of family-friendly South Shore events delivered to you each week! 





Macaroni Kid South Shore Boston is a free weekly newsletter and website focused on fun family events and information in 13 towns on Boston's South Shore. We gather together all kinds of local family events and activities each week and add useful information about classes, family-focused businesses, book and product reviews, recipes, crafts, school and camp guides and more. We proudly serve families in Hanover, Norwell, Hingham, Cohasset, Scituate, Hull, Marshfield, Duxbury, Pembroke, Whitman, Hanson, Rockland, and Abington!

Want to be the first to know about great local events for families? Subscribe today - 
ssboston.macaronikid.com/subscribe/