Delan Frazier, of Pringle, holds her daughter, Raina, 6, so she could drop her letter to Santa in the Santa Mailbox in West Wyoming on Shoemaker Street.
Fred Adams | For Sunday Dispatch
Behind the Letters for Santa Mailbox on Shoemaker Street in West Wyoming, Santa sits in a sled waving to people as they pass in their cars.
Fred Adams | For Sunday Dispatch
Santa sits in a sled along Shoemaker Street in West Wyoming and waves to traffic passing by, waiting for someone to stop, drop off a letter in his mailbox and come and talk to him in his sled.
Fred Adams | For Sunday Dispatch
Jackson McCrone, 7, sits with Santa in his sled while Santa was watching the Letters to Santa Mailbox along Shoemaker Street in West Wyoming.
Fred Adams | For Sunday Dispatch
Santa reads a letter that was left in the Letters to Santa Mailbox on Shoemaker Street in West Wyoming.
Fred Adams | For Sunday Dispatch
The Letters to Santa Mailbox is available 24 hours a day and is lit up at night on Shoemaker Street in West Wyoming.
Fred Adams | For Sunday Dispatch
WEST WYOMING — When Nello Talamelli realized last year that because of the coronavirus pandemic kids weren’t going to be able to sit on Santa’s lap, he knew he had to do something.
So, Talamelli, who lives in the 1400 block of Shoemaker Avenue, also known as the “back road,” got out his nails and hammer and put together a giant mailbox so that children could drop off their letter to the Jolly Elf.
Last year, 254 letters were received in the giant colorful drop box at the side of the road.
His fiancée, Kayla McCrone, answered each one that had a return address. She didn’t guarantee any gifts, but she added holiday cheer to youngsters by referencing the Elf on the Shelf and the North Pole.
So as the holiday season grew close this year, Talamelli decided that he would add a sleigh to the display and invited Santa Claus in addition to continuing the tradition of the mailbox for deposit of letters to Santa Claus.
As a backdrop to the Santa display, he also installed a lighting display that depicts a huge Christmas tree.
His fiancée came to him with a TikTok depicting the large display of lights cascading from a pole that looked like a Christmas tree.
Originally, Talamelli was aiming for 25 feet, but his oldest son, Jackson, 7, insisted they had to “go big.” So, Talamelli aimed for 50 feet, but settled for 48.
The tree-like displays filled with blue lights and topped with a white star now provided a backdrop for Santa’s sled and serves as a welcome bit of holiday light for night time passersby.
Talamelli grew up in West Wyoming, but built a new house and moved to his current spot about five years ago.
He said the family has always enjoyed decorating for all the holidays, but that Christmas has always been special.
Talamelli is no stranger to playing the part of Santa, and had served in the role at a Polish Club to which he belongs.
The new suit, however, was purchased specifically for his new role as Santa’s assistant, while the real Santa is busy in the North Pole preparing for the big day, he said.
Talamelli said he intends to continue the display each year, hoping to make it a tradition for his family and other families who live nearby.
