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Ever wished it could be Christmas every day? Well, in one small town, the festive season is quite literally found all year round.
Santa Claus is located in Spencer County, Indiana, but the name isn't the only thing Christmassy about this town.
Despite having just over 2,500 permanent residents, Santa Claus receives over one million tourists a year thanks to its Christmas Lodge, Christmas Store, Santa's Candy Castle, and the Holiday World & Splash Safari theme park.
Visitors are greeted by a 22-foot Santa Claus statue, built in 1935, as well as 20 other Santa Claus monuments scattered throughout the town.
But, perhaps the town's biggest selling point is its post office—the only one in the U.S. registered to Santa Claus.
Here's how Christmas became a year-round vacation destination, and a few of the ways you can get festive while in town.
How Did Santa Claus, Indiana, Get Its Name?
According to Britannica, the town was jokingly renamed Santa Claus in 1856 while registering its first post office.
The government felt the town's original moniker of Santa Fee was too similar to Santa Fe—located in Northern Indiana—and wouldn't approve their application unless they changed it.
As legend has it, the new name was decided during a town meeting on Christmas Eve, and over the last century, Santa Claus has become a hub for all things festive.
Along with street names including Christmas Boulevard, Blitzen Lane, and Chestnut By The Fire, residents live in neighborhoods called Christmas Lake, Holiday Village, and Polar Shores.
Write A Letter to Santa Claus, And Get A Letter Back
The post office receives between 20,000 and 30,000 letters to Santa annually, with each letter carefully answered by a team of "elves."
Chief Elf Patricia Koch leads a team of volunteers every year, who spend months replying to as many letters as possible and popping them in the post for December 25.
Now 91 years old, Koch began answering children's letters to Santa Claus when she was just 12. The postmaster, James Martin, started responding to the letters in 1914, but quickly began struggling with the sheer number.
"After he came home back from serving in World War I, my father saw that the postmaster was overwhelmed, so began helping him with all these letters," she said.
Raymond "Jim" Yellig asked the local high schools, monasteries and other organizations for support, and the Santa Claus "elves" were born. Along with appearing as Santa Claus at town events—including at Santa Claus Land—for nearly four decades, Yellig managed the project between 1930 and 1984.
After he passed away, Koch took over. Describing it as a "family legacy," her youngest daughter Natalie (55), helps out, as do her granddaughters Anna (19), Mary (17), and Ellen (15). Their work is supported by a number of volunteers, many who enjoy the experience so much that they return year after year.
"We're very protective of the process and making sure the children can get a letter from Santa Claus," she said.
"We're just his helpers, he's busy making toys right now and getting ready for his trip."
The letters come from locations around the world, as far and wide as Taiwan, France and Ukraine. The most letters ever sent to the post was 100,000, after the town was covered by Ripley's Believe it or Not in the 1950s.
"We're very organized with this, but we never know on any given day how many letters we will receive," she said.
"My granddaughter and I just did an envelope of 50 school children this past week. I'm always here."
The number of volunteers varies each year, but Koch said she has plenty of people she can call "in a bind." The team usually starts responding the Monday after Thanksgiving, but there has been so many letters this year that they started early—answering several thousand by November 25.
The elves work out of the town's original post office building, a historical log cabin constructed in 1856 that is now part of the Santa Claus Museum and Village. Koch purchased antiques to furnish the space so it resembles an 1800s post office, with children able to write letters in the front half of the building while elves work in the back.
Koch said her favorite part of being Chief Elf is knowing the impact the letter-writing project has on young people. Parents sometimes send pictures of children opening their letters to Santa Claus, and Koch said the sparkle in their eye makes the hard work all worthwhile.
"For children to still believe in Santa Claus, when there is so much information available to them is amazing," she said.
"And they still do believe, the letters show that."
What To Do In Santa Claus, Indiana?
1. Ride a Christmas-Themed Coaster at Holiday World and Splashin' Safari
Log flumes and rapid rides might not screen "Christmas," but one of Santa Claus's biggest draws is its theme park.
Holiday World and Splashin' Safari has five rollercoasters, including The Voyage—TIME Magazine's pick for number one "wooden rollercoaster of the nation"—and two of the world's longest water coasters.
2. Buy All the Christmas Decorations You'll Ever Need
As the name suggests, the Santa Claus Christmas Store is a one-stop shop for all things merry and bright. Overflowing with Christmas collectibles and aisles of seasonal decor, the store opens in May and is a tourist hotspot throughout the year.
However, manager Heather Osbourne said that sales had an unsurprising surge in the run-up to Christmas.
"I would say that we do about 30% of our total sales in the month of December alone," she told Newsweek.
"On Saturdays in December we can do up to 1,600 transactions a day."
3. Drink Hot Cocoa at Santa's Candy Castle
This historic castle officially became a town monument in 1935 and promises visitors "old-world charm with modern-day fun."
As well as trying 35 different flavors of cocoa, you can get your hands on old-fashioned, hard-to-find candy. You can also chat with one of Santa's elves, and if you're not Saint Nick's bad side, you'll get an "official Good List Certificate."
4. Eat Christmas Dinner with Santa
If you're looking for a truly festive experience, where else would you stay but Santa's Lodge? Although the hotel's guest number fluctuates, General Manager Carrie Berg said the lodge embraces the Christmas spirit every day of the year.
Surprisingly, the summer is their busiest period, followed by Christmas.
"We celebrate America's Hometown Christmas for the first 3 weekends in December, which is when many visitors come to Santa Claus to check out all the local attractions," she told Newsweek.
"Our lobby is filled with Christmas antiques, a snow village, Christmas trees, and more that all stay up year-round."
They also host "Christmas Dinners with Santa," which Berg said is her favorite tradition. A buffet menu filled with Christmas classics, the guests also get to dine with Saint Nick before the kids are treated to storytime.
"Santa can then be found on the stage where families can take turns chatting with him, sitting on his lap, and getting photos taken with him," she said.
"He stops for a fun storytime experience and happily sings Christmas carols with the children, before our elves prepare the milk and cookies treat that is also included. It is a night to remember."
About the writer
Sophie is a Newsweek Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in Lincoln, UK. Her focus is reporting on film and ... Read more