This B.C. toy store makes sure even last-minute letters to Santa get a personal response

It was Dec. 23, 2021 and Brandy Cantrill had a Christmas emergency: Her son had forgotten to write a letter to Santa.

Canada Post deadlines had long passed for messages to get to the North Pole before Dec. 25, so she didn't think it could be sent off in time.

But not only did she find a spot to drop the letter off so it would arrive before Christmas, a message back from Santa was hand-delivered to the front door by one of his helpers, along with a bonus toy.

"It really made my son's day," she said. "He was quite ecstatic."

The person responsible for making sure the letter arrived on time was Andrew Ho, the owner of the Northern Toy Box in Dawson Creek, B.C.

Every year, the family-owned business sets up an express delivery box for kids to drop off their letters to Santa, and every year they make sure each of those kids gets a personalized note back. 

Even though it is one of the busiest times of year for the shop, Ho says taking the extra time to help Santa spread Christmas cheer is one of the bright spots of the season.

"I really enjoy it," he said. "We know the kids, so we can tell Santa about them and really help him tailor the message back to make sure it gets to them just before Christmas."

Ho grew up going to the Northern Toy Box as a kid before purchasing the business with his wife in 2015 after the previous owners put it up for sale. He says they both had so many strong childhood memories attached to the shop that they felt a "responsibility" to keeping it going in their community of about 12,000 people.

"So many gifts, or for birthdays, were from here," he said. "We really love getting to know the communities, the different hobby groups and kind of tailoring the store toward their needs and interests."

Aside from toys, the shop also carries puzzles, books, disc golf products and other products for both kids and adults.

For shoppers like Cantrill, having a locally-run shop is a weclome — and increasingly rare — alternative to big box stores and online orders.

"Just having it in our town, it's wonderful," she said. "Like [with the letter from Santa], they went above and beyond. We didn't just get a letter back — he [Ho] delivered it personally to our door."

And Ho says he plans to be available to get those last-minute letters as people scramble in the run-up to Christmas.

"It just kind of reminds me of why we do what we do, you know?" he said. "You read the letters and it kind of refreshes the spirit of the time, right? The meaning of Christmas."