Seeking seasonal cheer, Christmas celebrants are often drawn to small towns with names hinting at the holidays.
From North Pole, Alaska, to Christmas, Florida, and many communities in between, residents radiate goodwill not only to their December visitors but to each other long after the holiday season ends.
Those unable to travel to nearly 90 towns with festive names do so vicariously through collecting holiday pictorial postmarks found by searching online for “post offices with Christmas names.”
Collectors put their stamped addressed holiday correspondence in a large envelope or box, label it “Christmas re-mailing,” and address and mail it to the postmaster in the town of choice.
“People from all over the U.S. and world who want a holiday postmark send their mail here,” says Susie Anderson of the Santa post office in northern Idaho.
“We do it by hand when there’s a lull of customers in the lobby,” says Susie, an employee of the St. Marie’s post office who fills in at nearby Santa when needed.
Some people in the remote unincorporated town of 250 people, named after the nearby Santa Anna Creek, even become Santa. Through a local program at the post office, residents choose a family’s name registered confidentially with a Secret Santa program.
“Customers adopt a local family and drop off gifts to be delivered to them,”
Susie says.
The spirit of giving continues long after the holiday season ends. If residents need a hand, they post a note on a community bulletin board.
“Internet is sparse here, so people keep in touch by reading the board or visiting with each other at the post office,” Susie says.
Christmas Valley, Oregon
Residents in temperate Christmas Valley, Oregon, are more accustomed to nearby sand dunes than snowdrifts but celebrate the season with a lighted parade in early December. The town name is a version of pioneer rancher Peter Chrisman’s last name.
North Pole, Alaska
All year long, travelers are welcomed with the slogan “Where the spirit of Christmas lives year-round” in North Pole, Alaska, a town of 2,300 people about 14 miles southeast of Fairbanks.
At 101 St. Nicholas Drive, a sign at Santa Claus House greets visitors from around the world with the motto “Where it’s Christmas Every Day.”
A colossal 50-foot-tall, 900-pound Santa—billed as the world’s largest—waves hello. The house is an 18,000-square-foot emporium with gifts, a coffee shop, Santa’s workshop and the sweet aromas of fudge, cookies, cocoa and roasted nuts. Fifty employees keep it running.
“We’re committed to keeping the enchantment, joy and goodwill of the holiday season alive year-round,” Operations Manager Paul Brown says. “We strive to embody that in whatever we do.”
The house originated as a trading post and post office run by Con and Nellie Miller. Children who had seen Con dressed as Santa in their villages noticed him building the store and nicknamed it Santa Claus House.
The townsite, originally a 160-acre homestead, was called North Pole because owners hoped to attract a toy manufacturer to create toys “Made in North Pole.”
Christmas City, USA
In southeastern Idaho, Christmas City, USA, is the official name bestowed on Rupert during the holidays, according to a 1987 gubernatorial proclamation praising residents for welcoming “visitors in celebration of the ideal of peace on Earth.”
To kick off the holiday season, Santa arrives at the town’s idyllic square the Friday evening after Thanksgiving to hear children’s wishes.
“The square is like a Hallmark movie set with dazzling displays,” says the town’s event coordinator, Amanda Larson. “It feels magical and relaxed. The square radiates wonder and such a good Christmas feeling with a sense of caring and service to others.”
A season of activities listed on the Christmas City USA Facebook page includes fireworks, a “Messiah” singalong, a gift bazaar and an ice-skating rink.
Christmas, Florida
A sign beside a permanent Christmas tree in Christmas, Florida, proclaims the tree as “the symbol of love and goodwill; the Christmas Spirit every day in the year.”
The tree stands at the intersection of Highway 50 and Fort Christmas Road. The town of 1,600 residents was named Christmas because soldiers began building a fort on Christmas Day in 1837. The fort has become a state park.
Postmaster Dawn King says the half-dozen employees at the post office handle about four times more mail and packages from Black Friday to New Year’s Day than any other time of year.
“I like seeing the families come in to mail their cards and packages,” she says. “It’s a popular family tradition—I see the same faces every year.”
Visitors can stop by the post office and use rubber stamps with commemorative logos to decorate their correspondence.
Other festive names in Florida include Holiday, Star, Angel City and Saint Nicholas. California has Hallelujah Junction. Arizona offers Snow, Humbug and Silverbell.
In towns everywhere—not only in Santa, Christmas or North Pole—the spirit of goodwill and giving can last year-round with volunteerism. Opportunities nationwide are listed by ZIP code at www.justserve.org.