Monday, Nov. 21, 2011

Santa Claus, Ind.: Your Holiday One-Stop Shop

Billed as "America's Christmas Hometown," Santa Claus, Ind., has a lot to live up to. And boy, does it try its darnedest. The hamlet of Santa Claus in southwest Indiana got its name in 1852, according to the town's website, when a child suggested the name at a town-hall meeting. Another story says the town used to be known as Santa Fe but was forced to adopt a new name when it tried to open a post office and learned that there already was a Santa Fe in Indiana. So residents changed the name to Santa Claus. Either way, the Christmassy village has worn its moniker proudly. Not only does that very post office get tons of mail written to Santa Claus (the gift purveyor), but also Santa Claus the town acts as a one-stop destination for any Christmas need you could imagine.