Spread Holiday Cheer with Letters to Santa
The Postal Service™ began receiving letters addressed to Santa Claus more than 100 years ago. Our involvement was made official in 1912 when postal employees and citizens were authorized to respond to letters in the program that became known as Operation Santa.
Over the years, the Operation Santa program has taken on a life of its own. The Letters to Santa initiative has emerged as one of most recognizable programs of the holiday season. Today, cities around the country have hugely successful programs that also work with recognized charitable organizations, major corporations, local businesses and postal employees to make a difference in the lives of children from coast to coast.
What We Do
Currently, there are Letters to Santa programs all around the country that vary as much as the locations themselves. Some cities and towns work with local schools to write letters back to the children as if they were Santa, some work with established groups and assist with the collection of gifts, and others invite the public to adopt Santa letters.
Did You Know…
* Hundreds of thousands of children’s letters have been “adopted” since the program’s inception in 1912.
* Thousands of letters were received and answered by the New York City Letters to Santa program last year, while thousands more were answered from Operation Santa sites across America.
Operation Santa Headquarters
New York City’s Letters to Santa program is the largest in the country, receiving more than a half-million letters each year. This year’s Operation Santa kick-off celebration will take place Dec. 3 at 10 a.m., and letter adoption opens to the public Dec. 4. Throughout the season, New York City’s iconic James A. Farley Building on 8th Avenue will host tens of thousands of people who visit the Post Office™ in person to adopt letters. 
For more information:
For media inquiries, participation instructions and Operation Santa locations in your area, please visit: 
about.usps.com/corporate-social-responsibility/letters-to-santa.htm.