The Reindeer Express Santa Mailbox
Corinna Wilkins and her husband, David, wanted to do something during the COVID-19 pandemic for children who were unable to go to school. What the created was something they dubbed “The Reindeer Express” or “Santa Mailbox.”
“We wanted to be sure that all children, whether they were local, somewhere else in the United States or around the world could have something they could continue to believe in while the world was losing so many loved ones,” Wilkins said. “Santa Claus is a tradition. He is the spirit that lives in all of us, young and old, so when our children could not go and see him in the community, whether it was collecting at the Salvation Army or at the mall, to tell him what they wanted for Christmas, they could lose the spirit of Christmas.”
The Wilkins did not want that to happen so they created the Reindeer Express, dubbing her husband “Santa Claus” and her “Mrs. Claus.
“I ordered the mailbox online and made sure it looked old fashioned,” Wilkins said. “We built a stand and put a sign that says, “insert letters to Santa here!”
The first year it was out, all Wilkins did was post something on her Facebook page and the couple pulled over 80 letters from the box. The next year grew with 60 additional letters. Wilkins stated that letters have come from Texas and Tennessee as well as locally. Parents have told her this has become a tradition with their family.
“We only request that all letters have a return address because once we receive them, we send a reply after the letter is read on special stationary sprinkled with green and red glitter,” Wilkins said. “The letter is sent in a special envelope with a special stamp from the North Pole in red wax.”
Once the letters are written, local responses are hand-delivered by the Reindeer Express “in the dead of night” so that the “littles” can read them. Each letter sent is saved each year so “Mrs. Claus” can go back and reference them if the child writes the following year.
Santa and Mrs Claus create a wonderland around the mailbox
“I also keep in my Word program every letter I write to the children,” Wilkins said. “We put the mailbox out, or as the kids believe, it is delivered from the North Pole, at midnight on Thanksgiving by the Reindeer Express. It disappears at midnight on Christmas Eve.”
Even if there is a letter in the mailbox on Christmas Eve, Wilkins replies to and delivers a response.
“Not one child will go without a reply from Santa,” Wilkins stated. “This is the only location for the Reindeer Express Santa Mailbox, and it has become a tradition for us. We will continue until we are no longer here, but our son is already helping us with the decorating part. I hope he will continue this after we are gone.”
What began as a way to help children through the trauma of COVID has become a tradition for the Wilkins’.
“It puts smiles and joy back into the lives of children and their families. It means so much to us and we will never ask for anything for doing it,” Wilkins said. “It is worth everything to see the joy on a child’s face as they drop their letters into the mailbox and have a photo taken in front of it.”
The mailbox is protected by one of Santa’s reindeer
The Wilkins’ also get joy from delivering the letters and, surprisingly, they have never been caught.
“It makes us giggle like kids ourselves because we are worried the littles will be watching out the window waiting to see if they get a letter,” Wilkins said. “That is what we get out of this. We are creating memories.
The Reindeer Express Mailbox is located at 16354 Abbott’s Pond Road, Milford, DE 19963. Letters can be dropped off or mailed to that address. The letters can include photos or stickers as well as written lists.
Share this Post