TROY — The Santa House on the downtown square will host visits with Santa Clause until Friday, Dec. 23, offering free photo opportunities with Santa and a mailbox where visitors can drop off letters that will be answered by Santa and his elves.

“All of the visits are free, so anybody can go have a visit with Santa,” Troy Main Street Executive Director Andrea Keller said. “We don’t have someone there to take pictures, but people are welcome to bring their phones to take their own photos.”

“There is also a mailbox on the outside of the house,” Keller said. “If kids write letters and put those in the mailbox, and put a return address then they will receive a return letter from Santa.”

The Santa House will be open from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 16, and from 4 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec, 17 and Sunday, Dec. 18. The house will also be open from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 19, Tuesday, Dec. 20, Thursday, Dec. 22 and Friday, Dec. 23.

Originally constructed in 2016, the Santa House was built by the Western Ohio Homebuilders’ Association and donated to Troy Main Street. More information can be found online at www.troymainstreet.org.

“They gifted it to us,” Keller said. “David Fair on the Square decorates the house for us each year, and Thrush and Sons Complete Home Improvement donates candy canes.”

The city of Troy also helps with moving the house to Prouty Plaza on the square and setting it up.

“They help us with transporting the house each year, and making sure that it gets in place and everything is hooked up correctly,” Keller said.

Santa House Hours are:

• Friday, Dec. 16, 6 to 8 p.m;.

• Saturday, Dec. 17, 4 to 7 p.m.;

• Sunday Dec. 18, 4 to 7 p.m.;

• Monday, Dec. 19, 6 to 8 p.m.;

• Tuesday, Dec. 20, 6 to 8 p.m.;

• Thursday, Dec. 22, 6 to 8 p.m.;

• Friday, Dec. 23, 6 to 8 p.m.