ORLANDO, FL — You probably aren’t thinking about the holidays just yet, but Santa and the Postal Service are. Which is good news for kids who may not be able to have the happy holiday they deserve.

This year the USPS Operation Santa® program is 107 years old. The program was established by the Postal Service to help families and children have a magical holiday when they otherwise might not. This year brings some exciting changes, a new website, an expansion of last year’s digital program, and Santa’s official postal address!

Santa Claus
123 Elf Road
North Pole
88888

When writing to Santa this year, it’s important to use the new address, a postage stamp and a return address — this will help the letters reach Santa in time so he can respond.

Also new this year, the digital program has expanded to 15 cities across the country, up from seven in 2018. Letters from the following cities will populate the site.

In addition to the program upgrades, there is also a new web address for letter adoption, USPSOperationSanta.com.

Beginning Nov. 18, customers nationwide can adopt letters to Santa online at USPSOperationSanta.com. While the letters are adopted online, the adopter must go to a Post Office that offers “Label Broker” as an on-site service to send the gift. Adopters can find qualifying Label Broker Post Offices by visiting the Post Office Locator usps.com/locator. The 15 cities were chosen based on a variety of reasons, including interest in the program, community need and a mix of geographic locations.

How to Write a Letter
Sending a letter to Santa is easy if you know how. The Postal Service is here to help with guides and tips to help kids write and send the best letter ever. All the information you could possibly need to write a letter, address an envelope, put on a stamp, and send it on its way can be found at USPSOperationSanta.com/GetInvolved and in the postal Holiday Newsroom.

USPS Operation Santa History
The Postal Service began receiving letters to Santa Claus more than 100 years ago; however, it was in 1912 when Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock authorized local postmasters to allow postal employees and citizens to respond to the letters — this became known as Operation Santa. The complete history can be found online https://about.usps.com/holidaynews/  

Additional news and information, including all domestic, international and military mailing and shipping deadlines, can be found at the Postal Service Holiday Newsroom.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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