Santa Claus Has Come to Town

And reading your letters if you use the right address.

Howdy! It’s Joey, back with more Fun Fact Friyay. I hope you brought your winter jackets because we’re taking a trip to the North Pole.

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Santa is one of four individuals to have their own zip code.

‘Tis the season to play with your gifts, frantically try and finish your Christmas leftovers, and put Mariah Carey back in her ice block until next year.

You may have also written (or helped a child write) a letter to Santa. And if you live in the U.S. or Canada, you could have delivered it to the big man himself via the post office.

Beginning in mid-September, the United States Post Office welcomes letters to Santa with the address 123 Elf Road, North Pole 88888.

Canadian Santa enthusiasts can write to Jolly Saint Nick by addressing a letter to Santa Claus, North Pole, H0H 0H0, Canada. A much more clever zip code.

If you’re worried about your mail getting lost en route to the North Pole at the top of the world, perhaps you can write a letter to North Pole, Alaska. It’s a small town near Fairbanks that’s decorated like Christmas all year round. It’s also currently 2 degrees Fahrenheit there as I write this. I am happy to be warm inside.

The other individuals with zip codes? Well, they’re the people (and animal) who receive more letters than just about anyone else. The President has the zip code 25000-0001, and the First Lady’s zip code is 25000-0002, subsets of the White House’s official 25000 zip code.

Finally, Smokey the Bear has the 20252 zip code because he gets all kinds of correspondence from kiddos and adults alike. For a brief period, Smokey’s zip code was taken away, but thankfully, it’s back in action. This year, Smokey celebrated 60 years since he became a zip code havin’ bear.

If you do decide to write Smokey a letter, I hope you have better luck than Bart Simpson did with this knockoff bear.

And, of course, J.W. Westcott II is the only floating zip code in America. I wouldn’t advise floating to the North Pole, though. Seems like a bit of a long trip for that. Happy New Year—see you in 2025!