New documentary series on Santa features local kids and dutiful Raleigh ‘elves’

Santa Claus may be comin’ to town, but his elves have been here the whole time.

This year marks the 110th anniversary of Operation Santa, an annual program created by the US Postal Service in which letter-writing children can have their Christmas wishes fulfilled through the help of anonymous human “elves” and community partners across the country.

“Dear Santa: The Series,” a family-friendly docuseries premiering on the ABC Localish channel Hulu+Live TV and airing on local ABC stations (ABC11 here), introduces the local elves in our community. Viewers can see a longtime US Postal Service employee team with a nearby university’s marching band director to help Pittsboro and High Point kids’ Christmas wishes come true.

“There are elves in post offices all across America, even though you don’t always meet them face to face,” said Belinda Hiltbruner, a USPS postal worker in Raleigh (and one of Santa’s “Lead Elves”), featured throughout the series.

“Dear Santa: The Series” is the sequel to “Dear Santa,” an award-winning 2020 documentary about Operation Santa, highlighting a few gestures of kindness in the name of Santa across the country. (You can watch “Dear Santa” on Hulu.)

Two episodes of the follow-up series feature adorable letter-writers and Santa’s helpers in Triangle towns: Pittsboro, High Point and Raleigh.

The News & Observer spoke with Hiltbruner and Andrae King, Shaw University’s marching band director, to learn how they made the Christmas magic happen here.

‘We want to make the kids feel seen’

Hiltbruner has been with the US Postal Service for over 30 years, and she’s been helping Santa bring holiday magic to children in Raleigh for about that long.

“My first few years with USPS, most carriers knew that if they got me the letters, Santa would make sure they went answered,” she said.

“I remember one carrier gave me his son’s letter, and he told me that he and his son went to the mall, but his son didn’t want to see Santa. So I wrote, ‘I saw you at Crabtree and wished you would say hi to me!’ And my colleague came back to me and said his son was like, ‘Oh my goodness! Santa remembered me!’” Hiltbruner said. “And that’s what we want — to make the kids feel seen.”

In “Dear Santa: The Series,” we see Hiltbruner as a “Lead Elf” helping children write letters to Santa at a local 4-H event in Chatham County. There, we meet Kelsie of Pittsboro, who doesn’t ask Santa for gifts for herself, but instead asks for gifts on behalf of a loved one.

“Those are some of my favorite letters,” Hiltbruner said. “They’re really nice when they are asking for their brother or sister or friend, and not so much for them. They’re the ones you really wish you could just reach out to and just totally engulf them in whatever they want.”

‘Giving back isn’t always about money’

When King, the Shaw marching band director, was asked to be a part of Operation Santa, he jumped all over the opportunity. He learned that Mila, an aspiring musician from High Point, wanted to play her drum with a marching band.

“I’m a dad of two girls, and I’m an educator, and it’s my responsibility to teach my girls and my students to be givers and change agents,” King said.

“Giving back isn’t always about money. It can be about providing an experience.”

Mila was first very shy, King said, but she began to open up once she spent time with the band members.

“I remember her huge smile when she was dancing with her dad — they got to dance with the drumline together,” he said. “That was just the sweetest.”

How to watch ‘Dear Santa: The Series’

To stream: “Dear Santa: The Series” premieres at 8 p.m. Dec. 5 on the ABC Localish channel on Hulu+ Live TV (this is different from the regular Hulu service), with a new episode available each night through Dec. 10. Repeats are scheduled to stream Dec. 12-17 at 4 p.m.

To watch on TV: Right now, the series is scheduled to premiere on ABC11 at 5:30 a.m. on Dec. 11. Check local listings at abc11.com/tvlistings, as this could change.

Watch the original movie: “Dear Santa,” the 2021 movie, is available to stream on Hulu (the regular one).

What is Operation Santa?

USPS Operation Santa connects childrens’ letters to Santa with generous individuals hoping to fulfill holiday wishes.

The Postal Service’s letter-writing and responding program helps connect children/families with “Santas” across the country. “Santas” should follow program rules to ensure gifts are coming from The Big Man himself.

For more information, visit USPSoperationsanta.com.

How Operation Santa works

Thousands of letters to Santa are mailed through USPS each year. The postal service reviews, scans and posts letters (with personal information redacted) so generous individuals can adopt a letter.

Here’s how you can take part in Operation Santa:

1. Find a letter.

Create a USPS account and get verified. You can then sort through the scanned letters on USPS’ Operation Santa site and adopt the one (or few) of your choosing.

Some letters to Santa are included in Spanish, which you can filter on the website.

As an individual, you can adopt an entire family. You can also adopt letters as a team, such as with friends or co-workers. You can set goals and view your team’s progress throughout the holiday season.

2. Respond to your letter.

This can be by purchasing the gift requested and/or sending a written response to the letter writer.

Ship your letter and/or gift through a participating Post Office location, which can be found online: USPSoperationsanta.com/ship#find-location

Make sure your packages are mailed by Dec. 19.

3. Wait for Santa to deliver.

The package will arrive “straight from Santa himself.”

(Source: uspsoperationsanta.com/how)