After wearing his Santa Claus suit on his mail route for more than ten years, the US Postal Service has told a letter carrier in Bellevue, Washington that he can't do that anymore.

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For more than a decade, letter carrier Bob McLean has driven around Bellevue each holiday season, delivering a little Christmas cheer while wearing a full Santa getup for two or three days.

McLean started wearing the familiar red and white when someone told him he looked like Santa Claus.  He says since he started delivering mail in full Santa garb, he’s caused traffic jams on his route as motorists slow down to catch a glimpse.  Merchants love him because he draws a crowd wherever he goes.

He's Bellevue's most popular Christmas attraction, or, he was until this year. Someone complained to the Postal Service and he's been told to wear his official postal service uniform on the job.

A USPS spokesman says the complaint came from a fellow letter carrier. who said when he's decked out in the Santa suit, McLean isn't recognizable as a USPS employee.

McLean says he's puzzled by this, because he sees other carriers wearing Christmas gear all the time.  Whatever, McLean says he won't stop bringing Christmas cheer to his job, and he will wear the Santa suit one last time:  on Christmas Eve.

What do you think?  Should letter carriers be allowed to dress up like Santa?

If letter carriers can dress like Santa, what's to keep someone with bad intentions from doing the same?

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