Jacksonville Shop Runs Letters to Santa Program, Ensures Replies

Jess Lynn, owner of The Peachy Nest, has launched a letters to Santa project at her shop, providing stationery and a decorated mailbox where children can drop correspondence for a guaranteed reply before Christmas. The mailbox sits outside 228 S. Mauvaisterre St and organizers ask that letters be returned by Dec. 20 to ensure Santa's response reaches children ahead of the holiday.

The program began last year at the Central Park Holiday Market and was brought to The Peachy Nest afterward to extend the opportunity to more families. “We started this last year, for the Central Park Holiday Market,” Lynn said. “My husband built the Santa mailbox, and we had maybe 40 to 50 letters. We brought it to The Peachy Nest right after the market so kids still had an opportunity”

Local business owners and volunteers are helping sustain the tradition. Lynn and Julie Rowe, owner of 37 South Boutique and Makery, coordinated the 2024 market and decided to keep the letters project going annually after strong community interest. “We had such a positive response,” she said. “There were a lot of letters in the mailbox, so we decided to do it again every year. We built the mailbox with the intention of having another Central Park Holiday Market, but we ended up taking a break from the market”

The project provides two options for participation. Families may pick up themed stationery and envelopes at The Peachy Nest, take them home to write, and then return the sealed letters to the mailbox. Children also may use their own paper and envelopes from home. Volunteers including Khara Koffel, cofounder of Serious Lip Balm, and Morrie Smith, head of Illinois College’s mailroom, are assisting with the collection and reply process to ensure letters are handled promptly and professionally.

Organizers frame the initiative as a community tradition focused on maintaining the magic of childhood and supporting downtown activity. “It’s a tradition to do every year,” Lynn said, noting that writing to Santa is a key element of the magic of Christmas. She added that timely returns are important. “We want to make sure kids get a letter back from Santa Claus before Christmas,” she said.

For residents, the program offers tangible benefits beyond holiday cheer. It encourages early literacy and creative writing among children, creates a neighborhood gathering point, and channels family visits into patronage of local shops. The collaboration also highlights how small business leadership and institutional partners such as Illinois College can coordinate volunteer resources for community programming. With the Dec. 20 deadline approaching, organizers say now is the time for families to participate if they want a reply in time for the holiday.