During mail processing, letters addressed to Santa go to a designated “Letters to Santa/Operation Santa” tray.

Postal employees open and sort the letters.

The letters to needy children are copied and both the original letter and copy receive the same number.

The original letter is filed and secured.

On the copy of the letter, all of the child’s personal information is removed by blacking it out, and the letter is placed in a public “adoption” area.

A customer comes into the Post Office to “adopt” a letter from a needy child to Santa.

The customer presents ID to the postal sales and service associate and fills out the appropriate forms (6012, 6012-A, 6012-I).

The customer may then read and choose up to 10 letters.

The “Secret Santa” then leaves with the copy of the letter to fulfill the child’s request.

After shopping for the child, the customer returns to the same Post Office with a wrapped gift, preferably boxed and ready to be mailed.

The customer pays the postage to mail the box to the child without seeing the child’s address.

After receiving the gift and letter, the postal sales and services associate retrieves the original letter to create a mailing label, and the gift from Santa is placed in the mailstream and sent on its way!

View samples of letters to Santa