‘Santa’ is now taking letters to fulfill for struggling families

USPS’ Operation Santa aims to make the holidays a more joyous and magical time

Letters to Santa. (Photo by E M from Pexels.)

Have you heard of Operation Santa?

The United States Postal Service program was created to help as many deserving families as possible experience a happy holiday season.

Recommended Videos



Especially in the last two years, there are so many families that might be having a hard time making ends meet, but holiday expectations put extra pressure on them. They all want to make the holidays a special time, but some just can’t.

Operation Santa aims to make the holidays a more joyous and magical time for those families.

It does so by enlisting the kindness of others.

How it works

In order to participate, it’s as simple as writing a letter, but there are a few details to mention.

The USPS suggests when writing a letter that the more specific you are, the better chance your wishes will be granted if your letter is adopted. That means, be specific with sizes, colors, styles, favorite authors, book titles, toys, etc.

The Postal Service has guides and tips to help kids and their parents craft a letter. You can access that by clicking or tapping here.

After the letter is written, there are some specific details to ensure the letter makes it where it needs to go.

1. Put the letter in an envelope affixed with a First-Class Mail Forever stamp.

2. Include your full return address (every single part of it).

3. Send it to Santa’s official workshop address at:

Santa Claus

123 Elf Road

North Pole, 88888

*Important note from USPS: Letters that do not have a full return address or name will not be posted for adoption.

Fulfilling requests

After the deadline for letter submissions (listed below), adopters will get a chance to choose the letters and fulfill the wishes.

Adopters will have to be registered and have their identification verified.

We will have an update for those who would like to adopt a letter once the letter adoption opens up.

Read more about the complete history of Operation Santa history by clicking or tapping here.

All letters are now being accepted, and must be submitted with a postmark of Dec. 10 or earlier. They will be uploaded to USPSOperationSanta.com through Dec. 15 for potential adoption.

Check back for more information once the letter adoption opens up.

Click here to learn more about Operation Santa.


About the Author:

Dawn Jorgenson, Graham Media Group Branded Content Managing Editor, began working with the group in April 2013. She graduated from Texas State University with a degree in electronic media.