Post Office Does Rabbit Trick; Easter Bunny Answers Letter

Workers at the Van Nuys Division of the U.S. Postal Service ready themselves once a year for the onslaught of more than 5,000 letters to Santa Claus. They answer every one.

But last week they were caught off guard by a letter to the Easter Bunny. Only one. From Jonathan Storm of Chatsworth.

“Please give me a parrot, a real one, Dear Easter Bunny,” 9-year-old Jonathan wrote in crayon. “Make him tame please. From Jonathan Storm. Love you.”

Like letters to Santa, which include gifts such as cookies and candies, the letter to the Easter Bunny included several blades of onion grass to nibble on.

“I always like eating when I’m reading something,” Jonathan said Friday afternoon as he played pirates with friends in his back yard.

John Conte, communications manager for the Van Nuys Division, said it was the first letter to the Easter Bunny any of the postal workers could remember.

They modified a response from Santa Claus to answer Jonathan’s request. For Santa’s elves, they substituted baby chicks “happily gathering straw and grass for all the Easter baskets,” ducks “busy putting finishing touches on all the colorful eggs” and bunnies “cooking up delicious chocolate treats.”

“We just decorated with Easter stuff and talked about the Easter Bunny instead of Santa Claus,” Conte said.

Postal workers sent a letter to Jonathan’s parents, too, asking if it would be all right to tell the media about their son’s letter.

“We also said, ‘I’m sure you’d like to know about Jonathan’s request for a parrot,’ hint, hint,” Conte said.

Jonathan said he asked for a parrot because he is keen on pirates such as Long John Silver, a character in “Treasure Island,” which his father recently read to him.

But Jonathan’s mother, Jackie Storm, said Jonathan may have to settle for a substitute present.

“We’ve talked about that,” she said. “Parrots can bite off broom handles.”

It was not the first letter that Jonathan has written to the Easter Bunny, Jackie Storm said, just the first that received an answer. That’s because this time the Storms’ mail carrier thought to scribble a return address on the envelope.

After Easter, Conte said, Jonathan’s letter will be returned to his parents in case they want to place it in a scrapbook.