​Lacey Woman Writes Santa Letters To Bring 'Magic Back'

LACEY, NJ — For many kids, life as they knew it was turned upside down this year with virtual learning, fewer social events and less holiday fanfare than usual due to the coronavirus pandemic.

As a paraprofessional for Toms River Schools, Danielle Passarelli, of Forked River, saw how the pandemic affected her students and their families.

To brighten the spirits of her students and kids in the community, she placed a mailbox in front of her home for kids to drop off letters addressed to Santa Claus. Nearly 100 letters were left in the mailbox, and Passarelli wrote personalized responses and hand-delivered them to their homes.

“I have some kids telling me they don’t have a home right now or they don’t know where they’re going to get food from, or they don’t know if they’re going to have a Christmas,” Passarelli told Patch. “It was important to make sure every kid had something. If they put it in the mailbox, they got a letter.”

Passarelli loves everything about Christmas—driving around to see lights, giving gifts and keeping the holiday spirit alive for young kids, including her two nieces and the elementary school children she works with.

Before Passarelli moved to Lacey last December with her fiancé Jessie Lovell, they lived in an apartment without the space to bring her mailbox idea to life.

Coming up on the one-year anniversary of living in their new home, the couple decided to start a new holiday tradition. In late-November, Passarelli posted on the Lacey Chatter Facebook page that their “Letters For Santa” mailbox was open at 260 Wallace Ave. in Forked River.

“I thought this would bring a little magic back to kids and make them happy,” she said.

The bright red mailbox rests low to the ground at about 2 feet tall crowned with a curved slot for kids to slide their letters in.

They received nearly 100 letters throughout December, as of Tuesday, which was the last day to submit a letter to give them enough time to respond and deliver it. Letters streamed in from Lacey, Toms River and a few had a return address in Delaware.

Passarelli crafted an authentic letter template online that she used to write back as Santa Claus, featuring a proper letterhead, a North Pole postage stamp and shimmering glitter. They also purchased a new printer to ensure that every letter would print out neatly and free of any ink blemishes.

Passarelli said most kids requested toys and games in their letters, but a few wished Santa "good health and hoped he didn't have the coronavirus." For families where multiple siblings mailed in letters, she made sure to personalize it and add unique details.

“Those were my favorite to write back because I felt like they were gonna get the biggest kick out of it,” Passarelli said.

Though Passarelli and Lovell had to send the letters addressed to Delaware through the U.S. Postal Service, they personally deposited letters in the mailboxes of local kids every night throughout December. For Passarelli, hand-delivering was essential to emulate the mystery of Santa Claus.

“We want to make sure they get there and if you put a stamp, I feel like it takes away from Santa Claus and the magic. Santa doesn’t use the U.S. Post Office. He does things on his own,” Passarelli said.

Passarelli and Lovell have already decided to set up the “Letters For Santa” mailbox again every year. They plan to make a Facebook page to announce its arrival next year and set it up earlier to attract even more responses.

“I had people reach out and say, ‘You brought so much magic back to my kids in a time like this'" Passarelli said. “There’s so much bad in this world, if they can believe until they’re a little bit older—one more year, that makes it worth it putting that mailbox out there.”

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