With the holidays rapidly approaching, excitement is ramping up for Auburn’s unique Christmas traditions that celebrate community and spread joy through various events. Among the most popular is Letters to Santa, a program that allows children from Auburn and surrounding areas to send letters to Santa Claus and receive a letter in return. For several years, the city of Auburn has sponsored this program for children every holiday season.
This uniquely Auburn tradition celebrates the community and evokes happiness for people of all ages, as children can send letters to Claus before December even arrives.
“Letters to Santa is special, because it keeps the magic of Christmas alive for all of the local children to participate,” said Gabby Filgo, community and special programs coordinator for Auburn Parks and Recreation.
The festive program encourages all children in the Auburn area to send a letter to Santa Claus. After they send a letter, Santa Clause will read it and send a response by Christmas. The participant only needs to provide their name and a return address. No postage is required.
In the Letters to Santa program, the mailboxes for children to send letters to Santa Claus will be open from Monday, Nov. 17 to Monday, Dec. 15, so that Santa has enough time to return responses to all of the letters submitted.
The letters can be delivered to three different boxes in Auburn and will go straight to Santa Claus. The locations of the mailboxes are at the Harris Center, Boykin Community Center and Lake Wilmore Park Recreation Center.
Letters to Santa is a free activity that invites children to embrace the holiday spirit. The program benefits the community, because it inspires unity and holiday cheer through an opportunity to create memories and engage in a timeless holiday activity.
“This program benefits the Auburn community, because it encourages children to practice their writing skills, allows them to reflect on their behavior over the past year and creates a fun family Christmas tradition,” Filgo said.
Children are encouraged to make the letters as personalized as they want and may include drawings, wish lists, questions or anything else they would like Santa to know and see.
Each year, Letters to Santa fosters holiday excitement for the Auburn community, whether a child is sending a letter personally or a parent is helping with the letter creation.
“It is always a good time to send a letter to Santa. If you are seeking a meaningful activity to share with your children, consider taking a moment to send Santa their Christmas lists. Watching their eyes light up when they receive their letter from Santa in the mail is something truly special,” Filgo said.
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Lorelei Young, sophomore majoring in English language arts education, is from Columbiana, Alabama. She has been with The Auburn Plainsman since the fall of 2025.
