When the Postal Service delivered its 1 billionth piece of peak season mail, it fittingly went to the “chief elf” in Santa Claus, IN.
Danni Fulkerson, a rural carrier associate, delivered the package to Patricia Koch at the Santa Claus Museum on Nov. 29.
Koch, 93, the founder of the museum, heads its Letters to Santa program, in which volunteers write more than 23,000 responses to people who mail their “Dear Santa” letters to the local Post Office.
The 1 billionth mailpiece — a Priority Mail package addressed to Santa — contained an old quill pen and jar of ink. On hand for the delivery was Joshua Graham, the local postmaster, and members of the local and national news media.
“We’re just a small town of 2,500 people,” said Koch. “To be recognized by the United States Postal Service [is] a real honor to us.”
The Postal Service is expecting to deliver a record amount of holiday mail this year, and it will continue to mark milestone deliveries throughout its peak season, which runs from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. The 2 billionth piece of mail was delivered last week in St. Louis.
USPS is currently delivering nearly 1 billion pieces of mail every two days, and that rate will likely increase significantly as the holiday season continues.
The organization’s Holiday Newsroom features a real-time counter that shows how many mailpieces and packages have been accepted.