The
week before Christmas is always kind of crazy. Cookie exchanges, list checking
and late nights all roll into one blur. We can relate to Santa’s nonstop worker
elves. But in the short run it is all worth it. What else are we going to do
when daylight shrinks and temperatures plummet?
This
advent of winter has brought out the Lake Superior steam clouds big time. In
the early, minus 20 mornings, pink and yellow mountains of heat float off the
water. With just a slight puff of wind the steam mists swirl across the lake.
When you see that happening, you know that it is a face freezing day and time to
seek comfort in food, warmth and friendship.
Family
and friends do take up the front row this time of year. Connecting is crucial. This
season is for greeting. But there is a change in the air. Technology and lack
of funds are altering how we communicate. The latest swoop has come with the
planned elimination of door-to-door mail delivery. Not that anyone is too
surprised. Much of the mail is advertising and handwritten letters are on the endangered
list.
We
have been using a post box for over two decades. At one time a visit to our
post office was a social occasion. Folks met, had a coffee and chatted up the
latest story. But a few years ago Canada Post gave Montreal River the outdoor,
super mailbox, which is fine unless there is a blizzard or by some error you
get someone else’s mail. Then you become the door-to-door deliverer.
Wondering
what the other folks might do for mail, I Googled UK, France and Germany postal
services. Another perspective on a situation always helps.
In
France, mail delivery started when Louis XI initiated postal relays in 1477. No
email hacking for him. By 1576 the ordinary citizen could access the system.
Today 100,000 post men and women deliver mail door-to-door each morning.
In
Germany, workers still deliver letters and parcels. The local post office often
is in a stationery or grocery store. There a separate section allows you to buy
stamps, mail a package, deposit or withdraw money and apply for a credit card.
That’s right. The post office is also a bank. That’s true for the UK too, where
the Post Office provides other services such as insurance and the ability to
obtain forms such as a driver’s license, passport or car registration.
England
offers another unique option. The Postbus (the mail delivery van) has a few
seats for passengers. One can hail the Postbus and, if traffic allows, the
driver will stop and pick you up. Fees depend on distance and one’s age. Mail
has had a long history in the UK. Henry VIII set up the King's mail in 1516. By
1635, the Royal Mail provided postal services for the public.
So
mail delivery has been a global phenomenon for centuries. And there’s been one
type of letter that has been quite special since 1869. That’s when a certain
writer wrote out that red-suited, roly
poly gentleman’s address. That year, in the publication Santa Claus and his Works, a George P. Webster described Santa’s
home as being “near the North Pole, in the ice and snow”. Gulp. Did Webster
realize what he did? He gave Santa the claim to the North Pole. For over a
hundred years, millions of children have written to that address. But hold on.
The Canadian government has put in a bid for that floating ice sheet. How does
Canada Post plan to deliver Santa’s mail? And with that rich resource beneath
the two and half miles of Arctic Ocean, the elves might leave the workshop for
the oil fields.
Mmmm,
maybe it’s time Santa got a new address. Ontario has a lot of beautiful snowscapes,
including those right here in Algoma. I like Tom Mills’ idea to build a home
for Santa at Searchmount, with the Snow Train as the perfect Polar Express. And
Santa could make side trips to Lake Superior to see ice castles sparkling along
the shore.
Well
it is 2013, almost 2014. Why not? I’ll give the old guy the suggestion. In fact I’ll write him a letter right now.
Merry
Christmas everyone and don’t forget to take your naps. Santa does.
Yours truly.