Every Christmas season, letters to Santa flood in from kids around the world — but in Santa Claus, Indiana, volunteers become Santa’s elves to ensure every child gets a reply.

Reflecting on her gift, and the dying art of handwritten letters in our age of emails and emoticons, I decided to try an experiment: Instead of buying gifts for family members this Christmas, I ...

Christmas was always a huge family affair, Kemp said. “My mom would have loved this because my mom loved Christmas, and my dad even loves it. It gives him a big smile on his face,” she said.

Letters of thanks will be printed on Dec. 25, Christmas Day, in a special Opinion section. Letters can be up to 250 words and must include the name of the organization's representative or leader ...