Dear Santa: local children send Xmas letters via Royal Mail depot

Dear Santa: local children send Xmas letters via Royal Mail depot

19 December 2018

WITH almost 27,000 items coming through the doors of Downpatrick’s Royal Mail depot this week, it comes as no surprise to learn that apart from Santa, postmen have the toughest job to do this Christmas.

Donal Carabine is the depot’s manager and it’s his job to ensure everyone receives their post on time.

He says it’s the depot’s busiest time of the year with the mail being triple its normal size. 

Within the mailbags are hundreds of children’s letters en route to Santa — well in time for Christmas Eve. 

He said: “Royal Mail has seen such an increase in Santa mail over the last few years that Santa has decided to organise a free reply letter to every child, if the letter includes his or her address. 

“If the letter is posted early enough we can have a response out before Santa arrives. If the letter is posted later in December we aim to have Santa reply to each letter after he’s been.”

Donal reminded children that while Santa knows where your house is, his postal team may need extra instructions.

He said: “Postage stamps are not usually necessary for letters to Santa but we’re told Mrs Claus still loves to see them.” 

Searching his desk, Donal lifts a letter from Santa which he received by express delivery that morning. It was a letter addressed to Donal, as he’s the one in charge, with a list of instructions for him. 

Meanwhile, the depot is currently forwarding hundreds of letters to Santa’s headquarters at the North Pole where he getting ready for his busiest day of the year on Christmas Eve.

Donal says the depot is seeing an increase in the amount of general post too coming from post boxes as far apart as Seaconnell, Seaforde, Crossgar and Clough.

He said: “With the advance of technology in recent years we have seen a in the number of letters coming through the centre but parcels and packages have snowballed.

“The number of Christmas cards has, however, remained steady. It seems more people than ever prefer a traditional festive card coming through the front door.”

Donal would like to remind everyone of the final dates for posting Christmas cards and parcels. The last chance to send first class post is tomorrow and for special deliveries the deadline is Saturday.