Santa letters archived in Swedish post office date back to the 1890s

A drawing on a letter sent to Santa Claus in 2023 and handled by the Swedish postal service. Last year, the Swedish Post received an estimate of 16,000 letters from all over the world addressed to Santa Claus. Photo: AFP

Sweden's postal service is inundated every year with thousands of letters beginning with 'Dear Santa', and it not only answers them but for over a century has kept those that stand out.

With addresses such as "Lapland", "Reindeer Land" or "Santa's Igloo", the postal service PostNord last year alone received around 16,000 letters intended for Father Christmas.