A new, red mailbox sits outside Robin Blecker's home in southwestern Nova Scotia.

The Digby woman placed it there to collect letters from children to Santa — holiday wish lists that could have trouble getting to the North Pole because of the ongoing Canada Post strike.

Blecker intends to write personalized responses to every child who drops off a letter. She said giving back to her community is particularly important to her this year.

"I have been a little down this Christmas. I just actually got a cancer diagnosis and I really wanted to feel good," said Blecker. "And the way I feel good is I give back."

Canada Post's Santa letter program is a beloved, 40-year-old tradition. Letters are addressed to the postal code HOH OHO — no stamps required — and replies are usually written by Canada Post volunteers. The postal service said on its website that it receives over one million Santa letters from around the world every year.

Now, two weeks into the postal strike, Blecker and other Good Samaritans are pitching in to ensure letters from Nova Scotia children are received by Santa, or at least one of his helpers.

Trudy MacDonald, a firefighter with the Annapolis Royal fire department, brought up the idea of doing their own letter program this past weekend. She said everyone in the department was on board to help.

"I think it's just something small we can do to give back, especially at Christmastime," said MacDonald.

MacDonald said she grabbed a metal box, painted it red, and put it on display outside the fire hall. Someone from Annapolis Royal has also offered to build a wooden mailbox for the department.

Firefighters and volunteers from the community will write responses to all letters received.

"I remember when my kids were young, how much they enjoyed getting those letters from Santa, and I just didn't want them to miss out," said MacDonald.

Naomi Mosley, a postal worker in Truro, N.S., who is on the picket line, said they are still collecting letters despite the strike.

"We really care about the community that we live in. We really want to continue to do everything we can even though there is a bit of a disruption in our services right now … we've always volunteered to do Santa letters," said Mosley.

Mosley said letters can be dropped off at picket lines or participating local businesses, but she also welcomes anyone who wants to help them with letters to Santa this year.

"We're just happy to continue to do what we've always done. If there's more people that want to help, that's wonderful," she said. "The more, the merrier!"

And no one is merrier than Blecker, who has started calling herself Santa's sister. Blecker said she hopes her efforts will offer some holiday joy to others as it has for her.

"I really believe in community," she said. "And I think Christmas should really be about bringing out the child in all of us, and playing Santa's sister has really done that for me and lifted my spirits."