Operation Santa Campaign Looks To Deliver More Smiles This Year

The United States Postal Service has officially kicked off the 2026 season of Operation Santa, marking the 114th annual operation of a national holiday tradition to transform children's letters into reality.

Operation Santa originally authorized local postmasters to let postal employees and citizens respond to holiday mail addressed to Saint Nick. And it quickly grew into something very special.

Key Dates To Remember

There are a few specific dates to keep in mind as you craft that letter this year.

Now thru November 1st: Letter submission window is open for writers.

November 2nd: Registration opens for prospective letter adopters.

Get our free mobile app

November 16th: The official letter adoption window opens.

December 5th: Postmark deadline for children's letters.

December 12th: Final day for letter adoption and recommended shipping deadline.

How It Works

Children and families can create their wish lists and mail them to the official workshop address.

READ MORE: Free Car Seat Safety Check Coming To Oneida

Santa Claus
123 Elf Rd
North Pole, 88888

USPS employees and volunteers open the mail, check that it meets guidelines and securely redact any sensitive personal identifying information before publishing them.

Adopters will then register and complete an identity verification process and browse the digital portal at USPSOperationSanta.com.

Adopters can choose individual letters or entire family packages.

Adopters can purchase gifts either independently or through the program's integrated online shopping catalog and ship them via local Post Office locations.

READ MORE: Ford F-150 Recall Impacting New York State Drivers

Things To Know

While millions view the site, submitting a letter does not automatically guarantee adoption, as the program relies entirely on the generosity of public volunteers.

To ensure fairness and spread the impact, individual adopters are typically capped at adopting up to 15 letters.

Letters written in Spanish are accepted and can be easily filtered using language tools on the website.