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The holiday spirit is alive and well as the United States Postal Service’s Operation Santa begins its cherished tradition of letter adoptions. As of Monday, November 17, the program is actively linking kindhearted individuals with children and families throughout the nation.
This year, as in years past, USPS has embraced the holiday cheer by collecting letters addressed to Santa Claus and making them available online. This initiative allows families, community groups, and individuals to step into the role of Santa’s helpers by reading, adopting, and responding to these heartfelt letters.
The program’s roots date back to 1912 when Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock first permitted local post offices to answer letters to Santa. Over the decades, it has grown into a beloved national project, facilitating meaningful connections between generous donors and children dreaming of holiday magic.
With the festive season fast approaching, the USPS encourages everyone—from individuals to corporations and nonprofits—to participate by sending gifts requested in these letters. This ensures each child’s wish is met with a timely and joyous response.
Participation in Operation Santa is open to all across the United States, whether by penning a letter to Santa or by taking on the rewarding role of a holiday helper. Whether you’re writing or adopting, this program offers a heartwarming opportunity to spread holiday cheer and make a difference in a child’s life.
How to send a letter to Santa
Anyone in the U.S. can be part of the program, either by writing a letter to Santa or by becoming one of Santa’s helpers.
Those wanting to write to Santa should address their letters to Santa, 123 Elf Road, North Pole, 88888, and mail them.
The USPS then works its holiday magic by processing these letters and uploading them to its website for adoption.
Detailed information about what to include in the letter is available on the USPS Operation Santa website – but be sure to include your return address so Santa’s helpers know where to send the gifts. Plus, being specific with details about the items on your wish list makes it easier for letter adopters to know what kind of gift to buy.
The mailroom began accepting letters on Sept. 15 and has set a last call for letters for Dec. 6
Operation Santa: How to adopt letters
Adopters can browse and shop directly from the online catalog. This year, participants can fulfill wishes for multiple people in one household by adopting a family letter.
Letters to Santa must be postmarked by Dec. 6, and adopters have until Dec. 13 to send their gifts.
If you’re interested in adopting a letter, the first step is to create and verify an account on the USPS Operation Santa website. Once verified, you can browse through all the available letters and choose which holiday wishes to fulfill.
You can even filter by state, family size and language (English or Español).
Each registered person can adopt no more than 15 letters, according to USPS. Teams can adopt 15 letters per participating member.
USPS urges adopters to choose letters they can fulfill. If adopters are unable to participate, they can cancel the adoption.
“Please be sure you are able to fulfill the letters that you do adopt. Every adopted letter is removed from the site. If you are unable to fulfill the request, cancel your adoption on the Your Letters section of your account so it can be adopted by another generous person,” USPS says on its website.
While the deadline to ship your gifts isn’t until mid-December, adopting letters now and sending as early as possible lets families know their needs have been met.
Chris McCrory contributed to this report.
