Are you in a position to give a child or family some extra magic this season? If so, you can now adopt a letter written to Santa atĀ USPSOperationSanta.com.
USPS Operation Santa relies solely on random acts of kindness and the generosity of strangers. The program is 110 years old this year. It allows people to help children and families have a magical holiday when they otherwise may not.
Since Sep. 15, the Postal Service has been receiving letters from all across the country and delivering them to Santaās workshop at 123 Elf Road, North Pole, 88888. Letters sent with accurate postage and complete return addresses have been posted onĀ USPSOperationSanta.com, and today is the day customers can begin reading and adopting them.
If you are interested in adopting a letter as part of USPS Operation Santa, visitĀ USPSOperationSanta.com, click on the registration link and follow the prompts to register and have your identity verified. Ā If you are unable to get their ID verified online, you will be provided a code and given instructions on how to get verified in person at a local Post Office location. Once verified, you will receive a welcome email with detailed information on how to participate in the program.
Once registered, you can read letters atĀ USPSOperationSanta.comĀ and choose one to fulfill. Once a letter is chosen, adopters must follow the directions received in your welcome email to ship gifts. Packages must be shipped via Priority Mail service, but gifts do not need to be in Priority Mail- branded boxes. The last day to adopt letters is Dec. 19, which coincides with the Priority Mail suggested deadline. Keep in mind that you are responsible as an adopter for postage fees to ship the packages.
There are ways to save money on postage, however. Postage to ship gifts is based on size, weight and distance. Smaller, lighter packages shipped in-state or to an adjacent state will be the less expensive shipping option. Other tips include using Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes, free at your local Post Office. Take a box when shopping and only purchase items that can fit in the box. Adopt a letter from your state, or a nearby state and look at the dimensions of the gift very carefully, paying special attention to size and weight. Consider a gift card instead of purchasing larger, heavier items. Gift cards need to be sent in a Priority Mail envelope, 4-by-6 or larger, to accommodate the shipping label.
If you are writing a letter to Santa, letters must include a first and last name and a clear, legible, complete return address, including apartment number, if applicable. Envelopes must contain a First-Class Mail Forever stamp ā or other First-Class Mail stamps that equal 60-cents in postage. See theĀ online graphicĀ for more information. Letters can only be sent via First-Class Mail service in small, business-size or greeting card-size envelopes. They cannot be sent using Priority Mail service. Letters must be postmarked by Dec. 12. There isĀ no guaranteeĀ that letters submitted to the program will be adopted.
Ā There is only one USPS Operation Santa program, sanctioned by the Postal Service. Fulfilling wishes through the official program is voluntary, and any organization asking you to give them money to adopt letters is in violation of the laws under which the Postal Service operates and is not condoned by, or affiliated with, the Postal Service.
More information can be found atĀ USPSOperationSanta.comĀ andĀ usps.com/holidaynews. The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
Share this Post