12:06PM - Bummer -
No more Santa letters from North Pole
The U. S. Post Office has put an end to North Pole's business and tradition of sending return letters to children who write to Santa Clause and discontinued the city's unique postmark.
Letters sent to the community will now be postmarked Fairbanks or Anchorage.
North Pole Mayor Doug Isaacson says the U.S. Post Office is "playing the Grinch".
Isaacson says it's his understating that there was an incident in New York that made postal officials concerned about the safety of children from organizations that provide return letters from "Santa".
He said post office officials never contacted him about how North Pole safeguards children from predators.
Isaacson says it's his understanding that under the new procedure a postal worker opens the Santa letter and then calls the sender to make sure it's okay for someone to send a reply.
The letter is then edited as a safety precaution and then sent to a group that provides replies to Santa letters.
Northwest U. S. Postal Service spokesman Ernie Swanson says the tiny North Pole post office was getting overwhelmed with 700,000 to 800,000 requests a year.
All letters addressed to Santa at North Pole, Alaska will now go to Anchorage.
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There is another North Pole in the U.S.
That's North Pole, New York, which is the Post Office at Lake Placid, New York.
6:10AM - Heart touching -
A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell.
He painted a sign advertising the 4 pups and
set about nailing it to a post on the edge of
his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the
post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked
down into the eyes of little boy.
"Mister," he said, "I want to buy one of your puppies."
"Well," said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat
off the back of his neck, "These puppies come
from fine parents and cost a good deal of money."
The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then
reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a
handful of change and held it up to the farmer.
"I've got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?"
"Sure," said the farmer. And with that he let out
a whistle. "Here, Dolly!" he called.
Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran
Dolly followed by four little balls of fur.
The little boy pressed his face against the chain
link fence.. His eyes danced with delight. As the
dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy
noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse.
Slowly another little ball appeared, this one noticeably
smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat
awkward manner, the little pup began hobbling toward
the others, doing its best to catch up...
"I want that one," the little boy said, pointing to the
runt. The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said,
"Son, you don 't want that puppy. He will never be able
to run and play with you like these other dogs would."
With that the little boy stepped back from the fence,
reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his
trousers.
In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down
both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made
shoe.
Looking back up at the farmer, he said, "You see sir,
I don 't run too well myself, and he will need someone
who understands."
With tears in his eyes, the farmer reached down and
picked up the little pup.
Holding it carefully he handed it to the little boy.
"How much?" asked the little boy.
"No charge," answered the farmer, "There's no charge for love."
The world is full of people who need someone who understands.