Yes, letters mailed to Santa need postage [Video]

PORTLAND, Ore. — Christmas is about a month away, which means it’s just about the right time to get letters to Santa into the mail — after all, it’s a long way to the North Pole.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) picks up hundreds of thousands of letters to Santa every year, and the agency recommends making sure any letters are sent off by Dec. 9. But if the postal service is involved, that raises another question: Do these letters need stamps?

It’s been a point of contention this year; there have been a handful of recent social media posts and comments, particularly on Reddit, that seem to imply that letters to Santa used to be free, but there was a change in policy this …