Buda Woman Becomes Santa for Neighborhood, Sending Letters, Plushies, and Hope

In a small Texas town, a 62‑year‑old woman has been bringing Santa’s magic to children for six years.

The Santa Initiative

Holly Durham, who lives in the Sunfield community in Buda, set up a “Letters to Santa” mailbox at 186 Yellowbark Street six years ago. The mailbox is up for just a few weeks leading up to Christmas, and it receives hundreds of letters each year. Holly responds to almost every single one with a typed, personalized letter, a plushie toy, and a candy cane.

Family and Community Support

Bill Durham, Holly’s 27‑year‑old son, helps deliver the letters. He said his mom loves Christmas and making people happy, especially kids. He also helps Holly communicate with people verbally because she has Parkinson’s, which makes it difficult for her to speak.

“She just thought it would be a good idea to let kids come, drop letters off, write them back, as Santa, bring them a stuffed animal and a candy cane,” Bill explained. “And it’s been going on for six years now and it just gets bigger and bigger and bigger every year.”

Holly’s seven grown children all have kids of their own now, and she does it to spread joy and positivity to her community and the kids that live there.

Impact and Motivation

“There’s just so much negativity,” Holly said. “I feel sorry for kids. [The world] is scary, but this is positive!”

She said the mailboxes also give people, and herself, something to look forward to. In the neighborhood Facebook groups, people ask when the mailbox will open in December. Bill noted, “People really love it. People look forward to it.”

The messages she receives are heartwarming, often talking about how much it means to their family and their kids. Bill added, “It’s very, very heartwarming to see the messages that people leave for her, and like, the impact that she gives to these families, and like how these little kids look forward to it. I know that it’s like, such profound impact to families throughout the neighborhood, so I’m incredibly proud of it.”

The Work Behind the Magic

Holly pays out of pocket for all the supplies needed to keep the magic of Santa’s Letter alive. Bill said people have asked if there’s a tip jar or a Venmo that they can contribute to, but Holly won’t accept the money… Other than an occasional Starbucks gift card left in the mailbox for her.

“I see how she does it, it’s a lot of work, and it takes a lot of time,” Bill said. “She’ll come home from working and it’s like, okay, she’s got a stack of letters this big, got to read them, got to write them, got to set them up.”

Holly also runs a house‑cleaning company, so she operates Letters to Santa on top of her full‑time work. When asked, “So this is for you as much as it is for other people; it brings you joy?”, Holly replied, “A hundred percent. A hundred percent.”

How the Neighborhood Responds

Some families have been writing to Holly through the mailbox for years. Bill said Holly has retained some of the connections she’s made with repeat letter‑writers. “There’s a lot of houses, too, that when we’re making the delivery, she’s like, ‘oh, yeah, I recognize this house,’ ‘I recognize this house,’ ‘I recognize this house,'” Bill said.

The mailboxes will be up and accepting letters until the weekend before Christmas.

Key Takeaways

• Holly Durham has run a “Letters to Santa” mailbox in Buda for six years, sending personalized letters, plushies, and candy canes.
• Her son Bill helps deliver letters and assists with communication due to her Parkinson’s.
• The initiative spreads positivity, counters negativity, and provides a cherished tradition for neighborhood families.

The mailbox remains a heartwarming tradition that brings joy to children and their families every holiday season.