'Dear Santa' documentary showcases those who answer letters to St. Nick

OXFORD, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- The Letters to Santa program has been going on in the United States Postal Service for the past 100 years.

Their goal is to help grant wishes for children and families that send in their letters to Santa.

The wishes are first granted by anonymous donors and are then carried out by USPS employees dubbed as elves. They will dress up and hand deliver wishes and presents to kids throughout the country.

This year, a documentary crew created a series called "Dear Santa." The crew followed along with the USPS employees while they met with families to make their wishes come true.

A family from Oxford, Pa. was the lucky recipient of a very special wish. Maddie Hughes wrote a letter to Santa expressing her love for paleontology and, more specifically, her obsession with dinosaurs.

USPS and the "Dear Santa" crew had the opportunity to deliver an amazing surprise to Maddie and her mother Cynthia.

She was granted an opportunity to excavate with an actual paleontologist while also learning a little bit more about the job. She got to unearth sea turtle bones and even a shark tooth, which she got to keep.

Maddie's mother says it was an amazing opportunity that they never would have expected; she said they usually just receive a letter back, not an actual excursion.

The "Dear Santa" series is now streaming on Hulu where you will be able to experience Maddie's amazing journey as well as those of many other children throughout the nation.