Operation Santa Lets You Fulfill a Child's Holiday Wish This Year

From Good Housekeeping

Each year, millions of letters are sent to Santa from children and families around the country telling St. Nick what it is they want this year. And for over a century, the U.S. Postal Service has made some of those Christmas wishes come true with Operation Santa, a program where individuals can "adopt" a letter written to Santa and respond.

The program is now in its 105th year, and you can play the role of Kris Kringle by fulfilling someone's Christmas wish, or by responding with a written letter as Santa. This year, there will be a special focus on letters sent by children and families in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

"We want everyone to have that opportunity to help somebody who they may not even know have a great Christmas and a great holiday season," USPS Marketing Manager Allen Tanko told PIX11.

Here's how it works: You can visit a participating USPS office and browse through some of the letters to find one you'd like to adopt. Once you've found a wish to fulfill, you can let a postal clerk know, then, after you've bought a gift or written a letter, you can return to the same post office to send your package to the recipient. The deadline to adopt a letter varies by location, but some offices have deadlines as early as December 8.

There are participating offices throughout the country. This year, for the first time, USPS. is also launching a website where you can browse and adopt letters. The site is currently only available for New York City residents who can drop off packages and letters at the James A. Farley Building, but if it goes well, USPS may expand it to serve other areas in future years.

[h/t PIX11]

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