December, 2005

   My Letter To Santa Claus

By Brian Thomason, Clerk Craft Director, APWU Denver Metro Area Local

  Sitting here thinking about what to write for my article, I am stumped again as to what topic to write about. If my calculation is correct you will be reading this a couple of weeks before Christmas. Everyone is hustling and bustling around like chickens with their head cut off trying to shop and prepare for the Holidays. We are receiving letters to Santa Claus at the hall from our member’s children. Santa will be working long hours to write a letter back to each child. So with this in mind I thought to myself; “How long has it been since I wrote to old Saint Nick?”  A simple answer would be it’s been a while! But would he remember me? So I have decided to write “My Letter to Santa Claus”.

 Dear Santa,

My name is Brian and I have not written to you in a very long time. I don’t want any toys anymore because I’m all grown up (unless it’s an old GTO). Now that I’m grown up I wanted to Thank You for all the toys over the years that you brought me and my brothers and sisters. Christmas would not have been the same! You made memories that I can truly never forget.

I know that you do more than just bring toys to little children all over the world. You work miracles in people’s lives. You have helped people come closer as a family and given gifts that otherwise would have never been possible. Again I Thank You for all that you have done over the many years!  

My wish this year is that every child receives a Christmas gift from Santa. There have been many disasters in the world this year. There are still people missing in Sri Lanka. Some kid’s parents were washed out to sea. Will they still receive a gift? Here in our country we had all the horrific hurricanes and terrible tornadoes and storms. I am concerned about all of those children too. What kind of Christmas will they have with all the damage that occurred? Their homes lost, destroyed, flooded and un-inhabitable. These families must still be going thru a living hell!

Santa, I work for the US Postal Service. I am going to try to help you with this task. I feel that because we sort and deliver so many of your Christmas gifts every year, that I consider all postal employees to be “Santa’s Elves”. These Postal Elves are spread out all over the United States working feverously to get your gifts delivered on time. We too are working overtime and rarely get a day off during December. Like your elves there in the North Pole we too CARE about the product and service we give. We take great pride in the work we do.

So I’m going to ask that every postal elf in the country help to make a child’s Christmas a memorable one. When they are out shopping for their own child or grandchild, buy an extra gift for those less fortunate. We make pretty good money for what we do. An extra gift won’t break anyone. Just knowing that you made a child’s day on Christmas morning will be a feeling that will last a lifetime. If everyone would buy just one gift, think of how many lives we all touched.

 As always Santa, you keep making the toys and we’ll keep on delivering them on time no matter where in the world they are!

Sincerely,

Brian Thomason

Seriously though, I believe all of us in the Postal Service should look long and hard at ourselves and think of others during this Holiday season. We have great benefits, good pay and job security. Our pension plan can’t be raided, we can’t be laid off or fired at the whim of a supervisor. We have a lot of protections from these evils in our contract. We have job security. To me that means peace of mind knowing I won’t walk in and get a pink slip one day. We have it pretty darn good at the Post Office. So dig down a little deeper this year and share the wealth to those that have less that you and I. Buy a gift for a child this Christmas and bring a sparkle to their eyes and a warmth in your heart.

               To all of you I wish a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!