District headquarters handles S.C. kids' letters to Santa

Yes, Carolina, there is a Santa Claus.

And if you live in South Carolina, anyway, he'll answer your letter.

The U.S. Postal Service announced this week it would no longer mail responses to Santa letters postmarked from North Pole, Alaska, sparking cries that the Grinch really stole Christmas.

But Friday, the Post Office's district headquarters in Columbia said children here still will receive personalized responses to their letters.

"We've done it for years and things are going to continue," said Harry Spratlin, district communications coordinator for the Postal Service. "It puts us in the spirit, too."

Every year, South Carolina branches of the Post Office get between 1,200 and 1,400 letters from children writing to Santa. For 12 years, the state has handled its own responses. This year, kids will get back a postcard with their name and address written on it, along with a "North Pole Mailroom Receipt" that looks like a postmark. Of course, the notes include a reminder to be good (for goodness sakes).

Postal workers and other volunteers fill out the cards for children on their lunch hours or in their free time.

Spratlin expects a good number of requests this year -- he started receiving letters in August. Responses will start going out soon. To get one, letters have to be mailed by Dec. 21.

Meanwhile, the Postal Service apparently reversed course late Friday, telling a U.S. senator that the program would resume nationwide.

But the Christmas spirit was never in danger in the Palmetto State.