In the case of Microsoft's web site, however, there have been occasional unfortunate outcomes. In 2010, the Brazilian National Post Service, "Correios" formed partnerships with public colleges and social institutions to encourage children to put in writing letters and make use of postcodes and stamps. In 2009, the Brazilian National Post Service, "Correios" answered almost two million kids's letters, and spread some seasonal cheer by donating 414,000 Christmas gifts to a few of Brazil's neediest residents.
Some national postal operators make it possible to send in e-mail messages which are answered by physical mail. All the same, Santa nonetheless receives far more letters than e-mail through the national postal operators, proving that kids still write letters.
Many different websites grew to become available yr-round, devoted to Santa Claus and purport to keep tabs on his activities in his workshop. Many of those websites also include e-mail addresses or net forms which claim to permit youngsters to send email to Santa Claus. One specific website called emailSanta.com was created when a 1997 Canada Post strike prevented Alan Kerr's younger niece and nephews from sending their letters to Santa; in a number of weeks, over 1,000 emails to Santa have been acquired, and the positioning had obtained 1,000 emails a day one year later. Some websites, such as Santa's web page on Microsoft's former Windows Live Spaces or emailSanta.com, nonetheless have used or nonetheless use "bots" or different automated programs to compose and send personalized and sensible replies.
A letter to Santa is often a toddler's first expertise of correspondence. Written and sent with the assistance of a father or mother or instructor, youngsters study about the structure of a letter, salutations, and the usage of an tackle and postcode.
Wodan's role in the course of the Yuletide period has been theorized as having influenced ideas of St. Nicholas in a wide range of aspects, together with his lengthy white beard and his grey horse for nightly rides (compare Odin's horse Sleipnir) or his reindeer in North American custom. During the Middle Ages, usually on the evening earlier than his name day of 6 December, kids had been bestowed presents in his honour. This date was earlier than the unique day of presents for the youngsters, which moved in the midst of the Reformation and its opposition to the veneration of saints in many countries on 24 and 25 December.
The custom of gifting to kids at Christmas has been propagated by Martin Luther as a substitute for the earlier extremely popular gift customized on St. Nicholas, to focus the curiosity of the vintage band t-shirts youngsters to Christ as a substitute of the veneration of saints. Martin Luther first advised the Christkind because the bringer of presents. Santa Claus is generally depicted as a portly, jolly, white-bearded man—typically with spectacles—sporting a pink coat with white fur collar and cuffs, white-fur-cuffed pink trousers, pink hat with white fur, and black leather belt and boots and carrying a bag full of presents for youngsters.
Writing letters to Santa Claus has been a Christmas tradition for kids for a few years. These letters normally contain a wishlist of toys and assertions of excellent conduct. Some social scientists have found that boys and girls write various kinds of letters. Girls generally write longer however extra well mannered lists and categorical the nature of Christmas more in their letters than in letters written by boys.
In France, by 6 December 2010, a staff of 60 postal elves had sent out reply cards in response to 80,000 e-mail on-line request varieties and more than 500,000 physical letters. These letters could also be answered by postal workers or outdoors volunteers. Writing letters to Santa Claus has the tutorial benefits of selling literacy, computer literacy, and e-mail literacy.
This picture turned well-liked in the United States and Canada within the 19th century as a result of significant affect of the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" and caricaturist and political cartoonist Thomas Nast. This picture has been maintained and reinforced through music, radio, television, youngsters's books, films, and advertising.