Writing letters to Santa is a Christmas tradition for many families. Unfortunately, Santa can’t respond to every single letter that he receives. That’s where a San Antonio business comes in, providing its services to help Old St. Nicholas.
Gino’s Deli, located at the corner of Huebner and Lockhill Selma roads, has transformed into a mail delivery service for Santa’s letters.
“I’m just a middle person. The big guy in the North Pole, he does all the heavy lifting,” said Peige Chaudhry, co-owner of Gino’s Deli.
She said the idea started with a simple Christmas decoration two years ago — a little red mailbox.
“I never knew that people would get so much joy from it,” Chaudhry said.
Chaudry and her husband, Aleem, said so far, they’ve received 500 letters. They respond to every single one of them with a personalized message.
They’ve also created a station inside the deli where children can write their letters to Santa and place it in the mailbox.
The Chaudhries said they love to see how something so simple can put a smile on someone’s face.
“I feel that I’m doing something constructive for the community, for the city and my staff, and I feel fulfilled,” Aleem said.
It also reminds them that children have big hearts.
“We also support police officers, and we have a lot of their children write letters saying, ‘Please keep my dad safe,’” Peige said.
Gino’s Deli is responding to letters until Dec. 23 if your child would like to write one.
