Overview
- USPS began accepting letters for Operation Santa in mid-September and published the 2026 schedule and official rules on its program website.
- People who want to adopt letters must register starting Nov. 2 and can begin selecting letters to fulfill on Nov. 16.
- Letters must follow USPS guidelines, be postmarked by Dec. 5 to be eligible, and should be mailed to Santa’s workshop at 123 Elf Road, North Pole, 88888 addressed to “Santa Claus.”
- Individual adopters are capped at 15 letters and may fulfill wishes through USPS’s online Santa’s Gift Shoppe or by shopping on their own, but USPS warns not all letters will be adopted.
- Operation Santa is a century-old USPS program designed to help families in need, and USPS recommends adopting whole families or forming teams to increase the chance that more wishes are met.