Recently updated on August 13th, 2023 at 02:31 pm
How would you feel is Christmas never came to an end? For the residents of Santa Claus, Indiana, this is a very real scenario.
But the town of Santa Claus didn’t always have such a festive name. Once upon a time, this little community 60 miles from Evansville was known by a different name – Santa Fee. However, when the residents of the town applied to open a post office, their request was rejected due to the fact that there was already another Santa Fe in Indiana.
Much arguing and disputing followed as the townspeople puzzled on a new name for their town, until the solution arose one Christmas Eve. Whilst discussing possible name options and drawing a blank, a cold December wind threw open the doors of the church. In the distance, the faint sound of sleigh bells could be heard, prompting children to call out ‘it’s Santa Claus’. And so it was decided, and Santa Claus, Indiana, was born.
That’s how the legend goes, and ever since the people of Santa Claus have done everything in their power to keep the magic of Christmas alive all year round. The town, which has a population of around 2,500 people, has streets named Silver Bell Terrace, Candy Cane Lane, Reindeer Circle, and Prancer Drive. The local fire trucks go by the nicknames Rudolph, Dasher and Blitzen, and the residential community where many of the townspeople live, is called Christmas Lake Village. The town also boasts a Santa Claus Hardware, St. Nick’s Restaurant, Frosty’s Fun Centre, and Lake Rudolph Campground.
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So whilst it’s ho ho holiday season all year in Santa Claus, Indiana, it’s during the lead up to Christmas that this little town really comes into its own. Why, you ask? Well, where do you think all those letters addressed to ‘Santa Claus’ end up? That’s right – every holiday season, Santa Claus is inundated with thousands of letters from children all across America and even further afield, asking for gifts on Christmas Eve. And even better than this, because the town takes Christmas so seriously, each year they employ 300 ‘elves’ to personally reply to every single letter, sometimes penning up to 2,000 hand written notes per day.
Pat Koch, the town’s chief elf, has been looking after Santa’s letters since she was 11 years old. Now 86, she told The Guardian ‘We just sit there and laugh and cry. We get letters from children that say ‘we learned to use the potty’, and from others who tell us they have stopped sucking their thumb. We get every kind of letter imaginable, we really do.’
Santa Claus, Indiana, the award for most festive destination on the planet goes to you!
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