Philadelphia — 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 in need at the holidays. Unlike in years’ past, this year brings some exciting changes, a new website, an expansion of last year’s digital program, and Santa’s OFFICIAL address!

123 Elf Road
North Pole
88888

When writing to Santa this year, it’s important to use the new address as well as making sure there is a stamp on the envelope — in the upper right hand corner — that will help the letters reach Santa in time to consider granting a child’s holiday wish.

Also new this year, the digital program has expanded to 15 cities across the country, up from seven in 2018

Austin TX	Chicago IL	Grand Rapids MI	Orlando FL	Sacramento CA
Baltimore MD	Cleveland OH	Los Angeles CA	Philadelphia PA	San Juan PR
Boston MA	Denver CO	New York NY	Phoenix AZ	Washington DC

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

Beginning Nov. 18, customers in the 15 cities can adopt letters to Santa online at USPSOperationSanta.com. It’s important to note that even though the letters are adopted online, the adopter MUST go to a Post Office that offers “Label Broker (retail)” 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 digital cities were chosen based on, but not limited to, overall 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 on USPSOperationSanta.com and in our Holiday Newsroom. The only thing the Postal Service can’t help with is to tell kids what to ask for. That is up to their imagination, and we would never stifle creativity. These tips are also good all year-round for sending thank you cards, birthday cards, or a letter to Grandma and Grandpa just to say “hi”.

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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