Johnnie McRae-Stephens made one of the most memorable deliveries of her career last Christmas.
The Savannah, GA, letter carrier brought gifts to the home of a young military wife who had turned to the USPS Operation Santa program for help fulfilling the holiday wishes of her two children.
Through USPS Operation Santa, generous people grant the wishes of people in need by adopting their letters to Santa Claus.
“I’m Santa’s helper,” McRae-Stephens announced as she arrived at the family’s home with the children’s gifts.
The delivery was filmed for the second season of “Dear Santa, The Series,” a documentary series about USPS Operation Santa that debuted on ABC-owned TV stations and began streaming on Hulu this holiday season.
McRae-Stephens — whose episode debuted a few weeks ago — said she was “overwhelmed” when she was invited to participate in the filming.
“I just thought we work so hard during the holidays to provide cheer to people and it meant a lot that the Post Office was involved in the program,” she said. “It was such a great experience and hopefully more people will want to be a part of USPS Operation Santa.”
McRae-Stephens is one of several Postal Service employees who appear in “Dear Santa” this season.
Ernest Twomley, a New York City letter carrier, also filmed a segment in which he fights back tears while reading a letter from a 12-year-old boy who wrote to USPS Operation Santa to ask for gifts for his mother, father and sisters.
“It is an awesome program and an honor to be chosen to appear in the series and actually deliver gifts to this family,” Twomley said. “It was a joy to watch their excitement. The feeling that you get when you actually see that smile on a kid’s face and their family — it was all genuine.”
Santa Fe, NM, Postmaster Louisa Bell said her grandchildren think she’s “a movie star” after watching her recent appearance on “Dear Santa.”
Bell, who served as a Post Office operations manager in Denver at the time of the filming, appears in an episode in which she talks with a boy who wants help getting a Lego set and more for his best friend.
“I am happy to be part of the program, and being in ‘Dear Santa’ was the coolest thing ever,” Bell said.
