FLETCHER, N.C. (WLOS) — A couple has turned a difficult time for them into holiday magic for neighborhood kids.
For weeks now, Santa has been taking requests in a Henderson County neighborhood with the help of a couple whose Christmas wish is children of their own.
“Aha, there is one. There is a letter,” Donnie Young said.
The mailbox on South River Road in Fletcher is a special one.
“He actually has a pretty big connection with the big man and made a phone call and the very next day the mailbox appeared,” Blair Young said.
When it comes to letters to the North Pole, Donnie and Blair Young are working for Santa.
“Ho, ho, ho.”
They caught Santa on camera, shared the video and invited kids from everywhere to send a letter off. And a return note is guaranteed.
“I enjoy it, I enjoy seeing the kids’ reaction, and also Santa himself, seeing his reaction, it’s very special,” Donnie said.
Their reason goes beyond the season.
The Youngs are having trouble having children of their own.
“We have been trying to start a family,” Donnie said.
“It’s a difficult time, and it’s an emotional time, but we are seeing the good in it, and we’re turning a kind of sad or difficult time in our lives, we’re turning it into joy for hundreds,” Blair said.
One by one the kids come down the street to send personal messages to Santa with high hopes for Christmas morning.
“I dropped my letter off into the Santa mailbox, and, when I did that, it made me happy. And I’m really happy I did and happy when Santa comes,” Graham, of Brevard, said.
The Youngs are happy, too, happy with what they do for others every year.
But still, they look forward to someday sharing some of their joy with a family of their own.
“Our hope is to pass our traditions on to our children and they can see the love of Christmas we have,” Blair said. “And our traditions can become family traditions.”
