NEW YORK — With a little help from the U.S. Postal Service, neither rain, nor snow, nor heat, nor gloom of night will keep Santa Claus from delivering dreams this holiday season. Today marks the start of the Postal Service’s annual Operation Santa program, a campaign that has helped fulfill holiday wishes of children and their families for more than a century.

Operation Santa is an annual letter-writing program for individuals, businesses and charitable organizations to respond to children’s letters addressed to Santa Claus, the North Pole and other seasonal characters. To mark the start of the letter adoption period, a ceremony was held today at New York City’s Operation Santa command center — the iconic James A. Farley building — with a special appearance by Santa Claus.

“We are delighted to once again kick off the holiday mailing season with the start of our annual Operation Santa program,” said William Schnaars, Postal Service district manager of New York.“What better way to celebrate the season than to help Santa and his elves read the thousands and thousands of letters we have on hand.”

“Operation Santa has made dreams come true for those in need for 102 years,” added Schnaars. “This is a time to celebrate how Postal Service employees, charitable organizations, businesses and others have made a difference in the lives of children coast to coast.”

To learn more about the USPS Operation Santa program and to view a list of participating Post Offices, visit usps.com/holidaynews.

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