Santa answers the mail with help from Gresham postal worker

GRESHAM, Ore. - In a world of form letters and automated emails, one person still manages to give that personal touch – Santa Claus.

But he does need a little help to get the job done and for 22 years Debbie Battle has been helping Santa read the mail that comes through the Gresham Post Office on its way to the North Pole. No postage is required.

"(On) this one they drew the stamp on (the envelope)," said Battle. "Yeah, that counts."

Some letters are for Santa's eyes only.

"It's kind of in code," Battle said about one letter from a child who hadn't yet learned to write. "I don't understand it. So I'll forward this one on to Santa personally."

But for every letter that comes in, a return letter from Santa goes out.

"If the carrier finds it in the box out there and it doesn't have the return address, he'll write it on there for me so I know where to send it back to."

Santa tells Battle what to type. She prints it and then sends it through Santa Express. Minutes later it's been approved and signed by Santa. The letter is sent back to the child - postage paid by Battle.

"I love doing it," she said. "That's one of the joys of watching their eyes light up when they get a letter from Santa or open presents on Christmas morning. It makes me happy."

So far she's responded to just 20 letters. The big rush comes next week. And by the time Santa's sleigh takes off, Battle will have helped respond to some 100 letters.

She does it all on her breaks, during her lunch hour and after work. When she gets a letter from a child who’s really struggling, she passes it on to a local charity, hoping the family may get some help.