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IU scholar preserving 100 years of letters to Santa

By Aubrey Wright

Posted December 23, 2024

IU Center for Rural Engagement scholar Brittany Eckler worked with Santa Claus Museum & Village founder Pat Koch to preserve "Dear Santa" letters. ( Jeni Waters, IU Center for Rural Engagement)

Instead of the North Pole, tens of thousands of children have sent their letters to Santa Claus to a small town in Indiana.

To help preserve about a century of letters sent to Santa Claus, Indiana, the Indiana University Center for Rural Engagment partnered with the Santa Claus Museum & Village.

They will digitize and preserve letters that are almost 100 years old. The Santa Claus Village & Museum will create a catalog of their “Dear Santa” letters and other artifacts.

The museum said its oldest letter dates to 1914, and the tradition of writing back began with Jim Yellig and postmaster James Martin in 1930. Yelling’s daughter, Pat Koch, founded the Santa Claus Museum & Village and keeps the tradition alive.

Rural Archives Scholar Brittany Eckler said the “Dear Santa” letters illustrate the past through children, who aren’t often heard from in historical projects.

“That was my favorite part of this, just getting to know these children,” Eckler said. “Even being able to see what they're asking for tells a lot about the world.”

Eckler’s work focused mainly on letters from the 1930s to the 1950s, when children wrote to Santa during the Great Depression and World War II.

“We don't think of the kids too much during those times,” Eckler said. “You think, oh yeah, it must have just been hard, obviously, not getting all the toys you want or not having enough food, of course. But you don't get to really hear from them.”

Santa Claus letters — Volunteers in Santa Claus, Indiana, respond to thousands of "Dear Santa" letters each year. *(Jeni Waters, IU Center for Rural Engagement)*

Eckler said some letters were heartbreaking.

“There would be really touching letters from children who would be like, ‘My dad only works one day a week. Can you please bring me a bed to sleep on?’” Eckler said.

While girls asked Santa for dolls like Betsy Wetsy, some boys asked for rifles.

"It's very interesting to see those very straightforward dynamics,” Eckler said.

Some letters were funny, Eckler said. One letter showcased a “hysterical” moment from parents.

“Being like, ‘I heard from a student in my class, another older girl, that she didn't believe in you, Santa,’” Ecklers said. “‘And on Christmas Eve, she heard a knock at her door. And she went downstairs and she saw you, and then in the morning, you left her just a bunch of ash!’”

Santa Claus Museum and Village volunteers, called elves, continue the tradition of responding to the letters. Eckler worked as an elf this year for a day, too. If a letter includes a clear return address, the elves will write back.

It’s a special, fun place, Eckler said.

“In times that feel dark and grim, being able to have places like …this — especially in southern Indiana and rural Indiana — is just a great reminder that there is good,” Eckler said. “And we can find some happiness, even in some crazy times that we're going to be enduring.”

Aubrey is our higher education reporter and a Report For America corps member. Contact her at aubmwrig@iu.edu or follow her on X @aubreymwright.