Children sent their letters to Santa at Maggie Terry and Joanne Mattiace’s house in Windham. Jane Vaughan / Lakes Region Weekly

WINDHAM — Santa Claus is getting a little extra help this year from Joanne Mattiace and Maggie Terry, who collect letters to Santa from local kids and write personalized responses to each one.

“For me, it’s really just about the joy of Christmas and for kids to know it’s not just about gifts,” Terry said. She and Mattiace ask children to respond to the question, “What does Christmas mean to you and your family?” in their letters, rather than focusing on gifts they hope to receive. 

This is the second year the couple has set up a Letters for Santa mailbox outside their Freeman Court home, and they received 60 letters last year. Mattiace said they are on pace to break that record this year. The last day they accepted letters was Thursday, Dec. 19.

Mattiace responds to each of the letters, if kids include their addresses, and said she writes about the magic of Christmas and her love of the season.

“I want kids to believe,” Mattiace said. “Christmas isn’t just on the 25th. It’s the whole month before. I want kids to be excited. I get just as much out of this, if not more, as the kids do.” 

Mattiace and Terry hope to instill a sense of giving in the children who write to Santa.

“Christmas is very commercial. We call it the ‘festival of gifts’ around our house,” Mattiace said. “It’s really important to give back to the community.”

Mattiace’s favorite letter she has received was from a little girl asking for a pony, and she said she has also received letters from adults asking for help finding a girlfriend or boyfriend.

“Some of (the letters) are hard to read because they’re all in crayon,” Terry said. “But it’s so heartwarming.”

In addition to masquerading as Santa’s helpers, the couple also runs charity donations each year using their business connections.

Terry is the president of Legal Label legal services and owns Legal Leaf, which sells indoor marijuana growing supplies, while Mattiace has her own law office. Each year for the past 12 years, they have asked their clients, all of whom are companies, to donate products for women’s shelters or Preble Street Resource Center in Portland. This year, they are focusing on donations for food pantries and helping out local families in need.

The couple adopted their son Chase 11½ years ago, and Mattiace said that “before our son came to us, his Christmas experiences were a little less than ideal.”

“I love Christmas. Everyone deserves to have a wonderful holiday,” she said. “We wanted him to know that it’s just as important, if not more so, to give back to others.”