No money for stamps for Greenland's Santa

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http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apeurope_story.asp?category=1103&slug=Greenland%20Santa's%20Stamps

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- The jolly man in the red suit is being pinched by Greenland's belt-tightening, meaning 25,000 children worldwide will not get a reply to their letters to Santa Claus.

In 2002, the government stopped giving Santa Claus of Greenland $306,000 to pay the postage for those replies. The company, which is run by Tele Greenland Group and staffed by volunteers, cannot pay for the stamps itself.

"We have been forced to do this," Anders Laesoe, who identified himself as Santa's aide, said Thursday. "It's a sad and terrible thing for children who don't understand this."

The company, based in Nuuk, Greenland, is looking for help from individuals and sponsors for next year, Laesoe said.