The United States Postal Service is helping children get their wish lists to Santa Claus.
And, just like for the last century, they may get a response – and a gift.
“USPS Operation Santa”, a 109-year-old initiative, helps families in need get gifts on their wish lists. The agency is looking for volunteers to adopt letters.
The premise is simple: children write a physical letter to Santa, put it in an envelope with a stamp, include their complete return address and send it to Santa at this address: 123 Elf Road, North Pole, 88888. The letter needs to be postmarked by Dec. 10.
The letters arrive at Santa’s satellite workshop in the U.S., reviewed with any personal information redacted to protect the writers, and the letters are posted at USPSOperationSanta.com for generous people to adopt. Santa’s “mailroom” opened Monday for adoption.
Those interested in letter adoption must first create an account on the website and get their identities verified by following simple online prompts. (Letter writers do not need to create the accounts.) Adopters are then able to browse and select letters and respond with a gift and a note. There is no guarantee a letter will be adopted, or a gift will be provided. This program relies solely on the generosity of strangers and random acts of kindness, and is intended to help as many deserving families as possible experience a happy holiday season.
Writing the personal letter just takes a little bit of time. Including specific information — sizes, styles and colors for clothes and shoes, titles of books and names of toys — makes it easier for the letter adopter to fulfill wishes.
The USPS recommends dropping off packages at local post offices by Dec. 18 to ensure they arrive by Christmas. To keep the program up and running, volunteers pay the cost of shipping their gifts (there are tips on the website to keep the cost manageable).
“Every day can be a challenge for some families simply trying to make ends meet. Holiday expectations put extra pressure on those same families who want to make it a special time but just can’t,” the USPS says on the program’s website, which also noted that “Santa’s helpers” delivered 21,275 packages to children and families across the U.S. last year. “That’s where the USPS Operation Santa program can help make the holidays a joyous and magical time.”
The program began in 1912, when Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock created Santa’s first mailroom, authorizing local postmasters to open letters addressed to Santa for employees to read and respond. Charitable organizations, corporations, and regular folks across the country began participating in the 1940s, and the program went online in 2017. A documentary film about the program, Dear Santa, premiered in 2020. (https:// www.dearsanta.movie/)
