Become Santa’s little helper thanks to USPS’ Operation Santa

For the past 112 years, the U.S. Postal Service has assisted St. Nicholas with “Operation Santa,” a program that helps fulfill thousands of children’s Christmas lists every year.

And Christmas is less than five weeks away.

You likely just thought to yourself, “I’ll never be ready by then.”

You have so much to do before the big day gets here: Putting up the tree, shopping, wrapping, cooking, cleaning and hanging the mistletoe. You probably feel tired just thinking about it.

Now, think of how Santa must feel. The North Pole must be a madhouse with countless elves building toys for hundreds of millions of kids around the world. The pressure to not let them down must be overwhelming.

So, you may be busy, but are too busy to help Santa?

If you’re not, it’s your chance to be Santa’s little helper — thanks to USPS.

“We help Santa get some of the gifts sent to kids or delivered to kids for Christmas,” said Sheila Holman, USPS’ vice president of marketing. “Kids who are writing letters to Santa, they can have their parents help them post those letters on the site.”

Operation Santa’s other mission is finding people that can help Santa sort through all of the letters that are sent through the website and the ones are mailed at to post offices.

If you choose to help out Ol’ Saint Nick, you can adopt those letters and help fulfill some of the gifts on the wish lists.

Holman explained to WTOP the two ways that can be done: “This year, we’re actually, through our friends at Toys ‘R’ Us, we have a Santa’s Gift Shoppe. The gifts can be filled right there on the website and shipped directly, or the elves who are helping Santa can go out and shop on their own and just take the gifts to any post office, and it will be delivered on their way to the child.”

The new online function allows those that adopt children’s letters to shop the service’s partnership with Toys “R” Us without having to leave the house.

If you would like to mail a letter to Santa Claus, please send it to:

Santa Claus
123 Elf Road
North Pole, 88888

“Don’t worry, whether you write your letter to Santa and you put it in the mail, or you write your letter to Santa and you go to (the website and) have it posted there, your letter is going to get to Santa — no matter what,” said Holman.

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