COEUR d'ALENE — A local coffee stand is giving kids a direct line of communication with the North Pole.

No cellphones required — or allowed.

Starting today, children can place good old-fashioned letters to Santa Claus into a large mailbox at Boston's Brew, 611 W. Appleway Ave. Those letters, said owner Amanda Douglass, will earn the kids a free cup of hot cocoa and a candy cane, as well as a direct response from one of Santa's many elves if a return address is included on the letter.

"We wanted to get more engaged with the community this holiday season," Douglass said. "Thanksgiving and Christmas are really big in our family and we thought it would be something really cool to share with everyone."

Boston, Douglass' 2-year-old-son and the namesake of the two coffee stands, is just beginning to understand what Christmas is, his mom added. So when Douglass found the 4-foot mailbox, she told Boston Santa sent it to their home so they could help him gather letters from other children to send to the North Pole.

"We're a small coffee stand and really want to reach out more to the community," Douglass said. "What better way to do it than through something special for the kids?"