New York, NY — 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. To kick off the program, a ceremony was held this morning 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 Kevin Crocilla, Postmaster of Manhattan.“What better way to celebrate the season than to help Santa and his elves read and answer the thousands of letters we receive every year.”

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. This year, USPS is excited to announce that Operation Santa is going digital. For the first time ever, letters to Santa can be searched, read and adopted online by those in the New York City area from their desktop or mobile device at DeliverCheer.com.

“After 105 years of answering children’s letters to Santa, we’re thrilled to pilot a new, more convenient way to participate in the program in New York City,” said Chris Karpenko, Executive Director of Brand Marketing. “Instead of visiting the Farley building to adopt a letter, participants can visit the website to easily navigate the thousands of letters received and choose the one they wish to adopt with a click of a button.”

The digital version will only be available to those in the New York City area this holiday season, however Post Offices across the nation are participating in the traditional program.

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

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More USPS holiday news, including shipping deadlines and Santa mail, can be found at usps.com/holidaynews.

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