If there’s anything Santa Claus knows about, it’s how to run a mail room. Important packages and letters, from all around the world, coming and going in a steady flow of paper, stamps, scales and mailbags. He cast his expert eye over the operations of 14 Wing Greenwood’s Central Registry earlier this month, as Canadian Armed Forces personnel use many of the same systems to move essential information.
Corporal Nick Sprott showed Santa around the mailroom, dressed to the hilt with stacked and wrapped cardboard box snowmen, a Christmas tree, dangling decorations, bowls of candy, holiday-themed “welcome mats” at the hall pass-through window, and gift-wrapped doors.
“You might want to decorate a bit for the holidays,” Santa suggested, but he was clearly at home as he checked out the wall of mail slots and watched as Sprott showed off his mail machine’s speed measuring, weighing and calculating postage of envelopes zipping throw its feed.
“We have mail here going to all the different bases across Canada, and to all the units here at 14 Wing,” Sprott said. “We send mail for members deployed on operations all around the world – it all goes to CFSU Trenton to get sorted, and then it goes out.”
“Trenton!” interjected Santa. “Hah! If they have a good arm, they can almost throw mail to me at the North Pole!”
Canada Post also helps move military mail, but bulk packages, like Christmas and other parcels from home for deployed troops, will often move on military service flights. Sprott and his mailroom team had just sorted some parcels destined for Egypt and Kuwait, with an eye on mailing deadlines to be sure they get to their destination before the holidays.
“November and December are pretty busy – busier than the rest of the year,” Sprott said. Plus, there is the day-to-day work managing, distributing and filing electronic CANFORGENS, orders and posting messaging that comes into 14 Wing from military departments at all levels.
“That sounds a lot like what I do,” Santa said. “Of course, we have half a million pieces of mail a day moving through the North Pole, and all the digital stuff in the last few decades. I have a wall with a box for every country, and 40 elves working with me. They use sleds and, of course, we have a better than average system to move our mail.”
Santa took a few selfies with Sprott and his co-worker, Corporal Stephanie Corrington – the driving force behind the mailroom’s holiday décor: “I like the Christmas season!” she said. The inspection was very relaxed, as both Santa and the Central Registry team share an obvious common work environment and passion to deliver messages.
“This is my second trade in the military,” Sprott said – he has served as a vehicle technician, before taking on the job transfer. “I find this very rewarding, that we help soldiers who are away get their mail. It is a very high morale boost when you get a letter from home.”
Santa understands that morale high, having been invited by a Navy buddy a few years ago to visit troops in Afghanistan.
“My picture is all over Afghanistan, and I’ve made it all over the Middle East,” Santa said. “But, really, the work you do to get mail out to soldiers is incredible. Good job. I really respect what you all do.”
