(18 Dec 2014) Post offices throughout Brazil are helping Santa Claus with sorting children's letters and delivering gifts ahead of Christmas Day.
At one of the main post offices in Sao Paulo, volunteers pitch in to help "Papai Noel" - as Santa Claus or Father Christmas is called in the South American country.
In keeping with the Christmas spirit, they sign up to "adopt" the letters and agree to pay for the gifts the children are hoping Santa brings.
Nabila Carmo is volunteering for the first time.
"I've read a lot of letters here, very nice letters, many of them are similar and others are wishes that you cannot even imagine," Carmo said in reference to some tech toys that she had no idea even existed.
For several weeks leading up to Christmas, people all over the country visit the local post offices to read letters.
Once a volunteer decides what wish they'd like to grant, the post office helps out by having a mail worker deliver the gift to the child for free.
The Brazilian post office initiated the program, which is in its 25th year.
It began when mail workers curious to know what the letters addressed to Santa said started to open them.
"We have received letters here in which a child's dream was to have a soft drink and chicken meat on his table (to eat), a child asking for his father to go back with his mother because he feels sad, so, what we have here is a (social) portrait of our Brazil," said Santa Claus during a visit to the post office in Sao Paulo.
In Rio de Janeiro, dozens of children gathered to receive their gifts from Santa and many were thrilled beyond measure with the toys they asked for in their letters that were sent to the post office.
In the last three years, post offices in Brazil have received an estimated 3 million letters addressed to Santa and almost 1.5 million have been "adopted" by the volunteers who made the children's wishes come true.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
