Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Some Theories Why Chelsea Couple Got A Ton of Santa's Mail
By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 27, 2010
Modified Dec 27, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 27, 2010
Modified Dec 27, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
On Christmas Eve, the Times shared a heartwarming video about a Chelsea couple whose mailbox has been mysteriously deluged with children's letters to Santa Claus this year. West 22nd Street residents "Jim and Dylan" have received a whopping 400 letters at their address! Nobody knows why, but there are a few SantaConspiracy theories out there. One Gothamist commenter posits:
They (or the person who lived in their apartment before them) answered an Operation Santa letter once upon a time, and their address has been passed around since then. Three years ago some friends and I answered a handful of Operation Santa letters that we picked up at the Farley post office, and we put my po box address on them as the return address. The following year my po box was receiving Dear Santa letters, and when I went to the Farley post office to pass them along to the actual Operation Santa project the couple on line in front of me was having the *exact* same issue.
Another commenter on City Room speculates that Jim and Dylan may be receiving letters to Santa that low-income parents addressed to the jolly old elf at the Children's Aid Society, located at 105 East 22nd Street. Jim and Dylan's exact address wasn't divulged in the video (they get enough mail, thank you) but it's possible that if they reside at 105 West 22nd, this could be a simple matter of senders writing "west" for "east" on the envelope.
Others wonder if the letters are coming to the couple simply because they live near the Chelsea birthplace of Clement Clarke Moore, the author of The Night Before Christmas. Or maybe Santa's marriage has fallen apart and he's quietly relocated to Chelsea, where he's crashing with Jim and Dylan until he gets his shit together. If so, we should respect his privacy during this exploratory phase of his life. But for future reference, the USPS Operation Santa is open to anyone who'd like to send a gift to a child who wrote to Santa Claus; details are here.
Tagged
Chelsea
chelsea santa
christmas
miracle on 22nd street
operation santa
santa claus
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYPD: Officer shot, injured knife-wielding woman during ‘chaotic’ night at Queens home
The woman is in stable condition, police said, but several people were stabbed.
By
Ryan Kost
Published Oct 24, 2026 at 8:35 a.m. ET
3 slates vying to run Jersey City school board as city stares down major tax hikes
The incumbent slate, formerly backed by the teacher's union, lost that influential support over public arguments and controversies.
By
Michael Sol Warren
News
3 slates vying to run Jersey City school board as city stares down major tax hikes
The incumbent slate, formerly backed by the teacher's union, lost that influential support over public arguments and controversies.
By
Michael Sol Warren
5 men charged with trespassing in 2 Manhattan manhole cases
By
Charles Lane
6-year-old girl breaks leg after getting hit by falling bricks in Queens
By
Charles Lane
Mamdani extends ban on permits for new street fairs due to NYPD overtime
By
Carol Chen
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .