A mailbox for collecting letters to Santa is set up at the Enfield Volunteer Fire Department in Enfield, N.S. CTV News
Fire departments across Nova Scotia have come together to ensure children’s letters to Santa reach the North Pole, despite the ongoing strike by Canada Post workers. This initiative was sparked by Trish Pittman, a firefighter with the Enfield Volunteer Fire Department, who realized that the strike would prevent children from getting their traditional Christmas responses from Santa. Concerned about the impact, Pittman quickly came up with a solution.
"When Canada Post went on strike and they said that the mail wouldn’t be going out, my first thought was, ‘Oh my gosh. The Canada Post does Christmas letters.’ And so, I kind of hemmed and hawed and I looked at my husband and I said, ‘What if we put a mailbox out for Enfield Fire?’" said Pittman. She quickly posted on their Facebook page that Santa had dropped off a special mailbag, and a mailbox was placed outside the department for children to send their letters.
The idea gained traction, with several other fire departments across Nova Scotia joining in. Now, dozens of fire departments are helping to collect Santa letters in designated mailboxes. The plan is to deliver these letters back to the North Pole in Santa's special mail bag. In some areas, Santa himself is making personal stops to collect the letters.
The Enfield Volunteer Fire Department has already received about 180 letters, and their efforts are not stopping there. Once Santa's responses are ready, firefighters plan to hand-deliver each one, making the experience even more magical for children. Some fire departments are even planning to have Santa accompany them on these special deliveries, adding to the excitement.
A young girl is pictured placing her letter to Santa into the special North Pole mailbox at the fire department in Eastern Passage, N.S. CTV News
The Wolfville Fire Department in Wolfville, N.S., quickly joined the effort after hearing about the initiative. Deputy Fire Chief Chad Schrader emphasized the importance of ensuring that children received their letters from Santa despite the postal strike. "Enfield was really concerned that children weren’t going to get their traditional Christmas letters. It was a service that Canada Post always took care of, but with the strike, they weren’t able to offer that service this year," said Schrader. Wolfville Fire has already received 55 letters and expects more to arrive.
Firefighters in Seabright also jumped on board after hearing about the initiative. Lieutenant Riley Coffey shared that they had already received around 80 letters and expected many more. "The letters are in all of our pasts, and that was a way to get your list across and have that wish come true," said Coffey. He added that they hope to make this a yearly tradition, and possibly collaborate with Canada Post in the future to continue the magic.
The support from the community has been overwhelming. "To get that personal response from a parent or a child when we’re dropping (letters) off, it really honed in why we did it and why our membership was so keen to do it," Schrader said. Firefighters are moved by the joy they’re bringing to families, especially knowing that children are eagerly awaiting Santa's responses delivered by fire trucks.
Santa even made a surprise stop at the Enfield department to collect letters himself, jokingly reminding families to "clean your chimneys" to avoid getting soot on his suit. Fire departments have set different deadlines for letters, which can be found on their Facebook pages, and are asking children to include a return address to ensure Santa’s replies reach the right home.
