DENHAM SPRINGS - With Christmas just one week away, one mailman in Denham Springs is making sure therersquo;s still time for kids to send their letters straight to Santa Claus.Jacob Lane is working around the clock at the Denham Springs Post Office, helping ensure childrenrsquo;s Christmas wishes m ake it all the way to the North Pole and back home again.Lane says he likely has one of the most important jobs of the holiday season: handling letters addressed to Santa. Through a special post office program thatrsquo;s been in place for the past ten years, children are able to mail letters to Santa and even receive a response.ldquo;I get it, I mail it to Santa, Santa sends it back and I deliver it back,rdquo; Lane said.This is Lanersquo;s first year working with the program, and he says hersquo;s already handled hundreds of letters from eager kids counting down the days until Christmas. While he doesnrsquo;t peek inside the envelopes, he says itrsquo;s all part of keeping the magic alive.ldquo;Itrsquo;s not my job to look at them, itrsquo;s really Santarsquo;s job to look at them, so I just hand them off to him,rdquo; Lane said.Lane says the joy doesnrsquo;t stop with the children. Parents, he says, often light up just as much while watching their kids write their letters.ldquo;Most of the parents, they see the kids write the letter and it really puts a smile and glow on their face and they really just love seeing the magic being spread,rdquo; he said.The program is only available to families who live in Denham Springs, making it a unique Christmas tradition for the community. Lane says few post offices across the country offer something like it.ldquo;A lot of post offices donrsquo;t do this, wersquo;re one of the only post offices in the nation that does it,rdquo; he said.After working at the post office for just a few years, Lane says the letter-to-Santa program has quickly become the most rewarding part of his job.ldquo;It actually feels like wersquo;re making an impact on our community,rdquo; he said. ldquo;Itrsquo;s just something to give back to the kids, just keeping the magic alive for Christmas.rdquo;Families who want to participate can still send letters to Santa. Letters should be addressed to Santa and include a return address in the corner. No stamp is needed, since the North Pole doesnrsquo;t need them. Children have until before Christmas Eve to mail their letters.Permalink| Comments ...read more read less