A Lovely Holiday Story

Postman Delivers On Santa Letters

Stonington mail carrier makes sure kids' requests get a response

Mail carrier Greg Kuflik delivers mail on his route in Stonington. When children send off their “Dear Santa” letters each December, they anxiously wait until Christmas to see if Santa thinks they have been naughty or nice. But for the past several years some lucky children who live just outside Stonington Borough have been finding letters from Santa in their mailbox a few days after they sent off their lists to the North Pole. A recent letter to two children on stationery featuring an angel whispering into the ear of St. Nick, and a return address on the envelope of a drawing of Santa's face, reads: ”It is wonderful to hear from you both. It is nice that you wrote me so soon, you know this is my busy time of the year! From what I know, you have been good at home for Mom & Dad, and are doing well at school. All these things are very important. As for what you kindly asked for on Christmas Day, I'm hard at work and I'm sure you won't be disappointed. I'll be visiting soon.” Santa P.S. The reindeer and elves send their greetings.” It's enough to keep some children believing. For the past several years, mail carrier Greg Kuflik has taken home the Santa letters left in the mailboxes on his route and crafted replies. A few days later, in the time it would take for the letters to get to the North Pole and back, he slips the letter from Santa into the children's mailboxes. In a separate plain envelope he includes the original letter, which some parents have not yet seen, so they know what their child has asked for. ”I love my job. I love talking to the people on my route,” he said. “I look at it as just a nice thing to do for the kids. They deserve the special attention.” He said some other carriers do the same thing. ”By no means am I special,” he said. Kuflik said it's nice when parents come outside when he delivers their mail and thank him. ”They say, 'I can't believe you did that.' It's nice to know they appreciate it,” he said. A native of Detroit, Kuflik first came to the area to serve aboard the USS Minneapolis-St. Paul and was stationed at the Naval Submarine Base in Groton. It was during that time that he met his wife, and today they have a 16-year-old daughter and a son in college. After serving four years in the Navy, he worked at several other jobs before joining the Postal Service a dozen years ago. He has had his current route for the past 3 1/2 years. Kuflik said his daughter helps him decipher some of the writing. In some cases, he may just receive a drawing. ”I'm not up on the latest electronic toys, so she helps with that. We have a good time at home doing it,” he said. Kuflik said he tries to personalizes each letter and includes information he knows about the children from their parents. ”I try not to say they're getting everything on the list,” he said laughing. “I don't want to put their parents in a difficult position.”