SUNDAY STORY:Dear Santa ...

With Christmas right around the corner, it may seem that every child in the country is clamoring for a PlayStation 3 or the latest iPod. But in their 94th year helping Santa Claus answer his mail, the U.S. Postal Service finds many families are simply looking to satisfy basic needs during the holiday season.

This year, the district post office for the Newport-Mesa area, 3101 W. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana, has already received about 1,200 “Dear Santa” letters en route to the North Pole.

“Sometimes people just don’t know where to turn, so they just sit down and write a letter to Santa,” said Richard Maher, a Postal Service spokesman.

From extravagant requests, such as a trip to the moon, to a child asking for nothing more than a single pencil, every letter is answered. And not all of them come from children. Postal workers recall several letters from grandmothers and single parents struggling to raise their children.

There are amusing ones too. One young woman asked for Santa to bring her the perfect husband, whom she described in great detail.

Whether they bear a stamp or not, the letters are read by consumer affairs workers (also known as Santa’s helpers, who make sure he gets them in time each year) before being sorted based on the perceived need of the author. Those deemed non-needy receive a response letter that encourages them to keep up their good work, while the needy, about one-third of the senders, receive gifts or other assistance.

Thousands of postal employees, businesses, charities and local residents come to the consumer affairs office each year to sort through letters in hopes of helping Santa to make children’s holiday wishes come true.

Accompanied by his mother, 11-year-old Michael Davis spent Tuesday morning at the Santa Ana office reading through dozens of letters before choosing several to take home and fulfill. His goal in life is to make the world a better place.

“These letters send me one message,” Michael said. “These people want a good Christmas, and I want them to have that.”

Costa Mesa resident Maria Alves came for the first time with her two sons, Jack and Ben Alves, after seeing something about the letters on television.

“When you have kids, you feel for other kids,” she said. “It’s crazy to think there are kids out there who can’t even get the basics.”

Three high school seniors from Girl Scout Troop 1899, based in Orange, are working around the clock to assist Santa in replying to all of the non-needy letters for the district. As of Tuesday, they had mailed 767 response letters, many to residents of Newport Beach and Costa Mesa.

After responding to letters last year with their troop leader, Cathleen Fulfer, who is a Postal Service employee, the girls decided to undertake the task as part of their community service. Furthermore, the girls will deliver toys on behalf of Santa to 27 needy families throughout Orange County.

“I don’t think they realized we had so much poverty so close,” Fulfer said.

“Reading the needy letters brought them to tears and made them decide to take up the project this year.”

For Celeste Jaime, who has been working in the Postal Service’s consumer affairs department for seven years, her favorite letters are the ones from small children. She recalled a 7-year-old who asked for nothing more than slippers for his mother and a gift for his baby brother.

“They put their little hearts and souls into these letters,” Jaime said. “We know their importance, and we treat them like gold.”

Anyone looking to help Santa Claus with his extensive duties this Christmas may contact the local postal service’s consumer affairs office at (714) 662-6215.