Every holiday season, thousands of letters to Santa arrive at the Postal Service, filled with wishes, hopes, and heartfelt requests. But what happens next? In this episode of Mailin’ It! USPS Brand Marketing Specialist Monica Johnson reveals the magic behind USPS Operation Santa. Hear touching stories, learn how the program has grown, and find out how you can participate. From writing a letter to adopting one, discover how a simple act of kindness delivers holiday joy.
For more than a century, the United States Postal Service has helped bring holiday wishes to those in need through USPS Operation Santa. What began as a tradition of receiving letters to Santa has grown into a nationwide effort powered by the generosity of people who want to make the season brighter for others.
In this episode of Mailin’ It!, hosts Karla and Jeff welcome USPS Brand Marketing Specialist Monica Johnson to discuss the history, growth, and heartwarming impact of Operation Santa.
The conversation begins with real letters from children and families across the country. Some ask for toys and holiday surprises, while others request everyday essentials like clothing, blankets, and shoes. These touching stories reveal how a simple gift can make a meaningful difference in someone's life.
Monica explains how Operation Santa works, from submitting letters to registering as an adopter and fulfilling holiday wishes. She also discusses the safeguards that protect participants' personal information and how the program continues to evolve.
This episode celebrates the generosity and community spirit that make Operation Santa special.
Karla:
Hello, and welcome to Mailin’ It!, the official podcast of the United States Postal Service. I'm Karla Kirby.
Jeff:
And I'm Jeff Marino. Karla, think back. How many of us grew up writing letters to Santa Claus?
Karla:
Oh, I think just about everyone did at some point. It's kind of a rite of passage during the holidays.
Jeff:
Right. But here's something a lot of people probably don't know: The Postal Service has a nationwide network of volunteers that aim to make the wishes in many of those letters actually come true. It's called Operation Santa, and it's been a cornerstone of holiday giving for 114 years now. We did a podcast episode about Operation Santa several years ago, and now it's a great time to check back in.
Karla:
And we have Monica Johnson here with us today to talk Operation Santa. She's a Brand Marketing Specialist at the Postal Service, and she knows the program inside and out. Monica, welcome to Mailin’ It!
Monica:
Thank you, guys. I'm so excited to be here today to talk about Operation Santa, so thank you for having me.
Jeff:
Welcome. So let's start with the basics. For people who might not be familiar with Operation Santa, how would you describe the program?
Monica:
Oh, Operation Santa is a goodwill effort put on by the United States Postal Service. It has been going for many, many, many years. I think right now we in our, we are in 114th year of Operation Santa. It encourages children and families to write letters to Santa every single year. We receive those letters, we review them, we redact them, and we post them on the website. Luckily, we have generous adopters who will log onto our website, register to become adopters, adopt their favorite letters, and respond by sending gifts.
Karla:
So that's a great concept, but it's not a nonprofit. It's literally powered by the generosity of people who adopt the letters. Is that right?
Monica:
That is right. I think a lot of times because of just the nature of it, people think that it is a nonprofit, but it's actually just a goodwill effort and it is powered, just like you said, by the generosity of people who wanna share and give, and give joy this holiday season.
Karla:
So how many letters does Operation Santa receive every year through the program?
Monica:
So we receive over 300,000 Operation Santa letters annually. Letters are randomly selected from what we received. And although we only process a fraction of those letters, based on like, you know, already available resources, all letters have a good chance of being selected. So there's no guarantee that any letter will be posted, selected, or fulfilled, but we always encourage people to just send letters.
Jeff:
Speaking of the letters, I wanna talk right at the front about some of the letters they receive. We've got some examples of letters and I wanted to just read a couple of segments to give the audience a sense of what people are asking for, what children are asking for every year, because it's, it really does warm the heart and put some things into perspective about how Operation Santa's actually being used. So just briefly, for example, here's a letter from Zia. She says, "Dear Santa, I love to do hair and would love some hair bows and some hair clips or any kind of hair stuff. By the way, would you like me to braid your beard, Santa?"
Karla:
So I have one from Sophia, a 13-year-old, and she says her dad broke his arm last year and hasn't been able to work all year and the mom is the only one working. So she's asking for a gift card to American Eagle so she can have enough pants to wear for the week. So some of them are definitely tear jerkers.
Jeff:
Speaking of asking for the mom, here's a letter that actually came from a 26-year-old Kristen. She says, "I'm a stay-at-home mom of two daughters, and as well, I attend college. I'd be just grateful to receive a blanket, some lotion, shampoo, conditioner, some body wash, or even just a gift card to buy my youngest daughter some diapers." And then she signs thank you for your kindness, Santa.
Monica:
Mm, yeah. So these letters will definitely hit you in your feelings for sure. And I think a lot of times, you know, children dream big, but also you get the basics of people just needing essential items.
Jeff:
Indeed, like, here's one more that, that caught me in the feels specifically. It says, "How you doing, Santa? I hope that you're staying warm at home, and I hope the reindeers are doing good too. My name is Ashley and I'm 12 years old. I'm writing to ask you, can you please help my grandma and grandpa out with me for Christmas this year? They've been raising me since I was one year old, and they really need help this year from me. They love me, and all I need is a blanket, some sheets, some socks, and some warm winter boots." And she goes on to say, "Santa, I really hope you don't think I'm too old to talk to you since I'm 12 years old." Signed Ashley.
Monica:
Santa's for everybody!
Karla:
Hmm. There isn't a name, but it's so cute because they're like, "I want to start off by saying, if you choose my family, thank you." Oh, and here it is. "My Name is Josiah. I'm very proud of myself for passing my audition. I'm killing it with grades so far. I play the cello and getting really good at it. I also have been a really good helper brother to all of my siblings, especially Jackson. He has Down syndrome and can be a handful, but I never mind helping my mom. I feel bad asking for a gift, but I would love a new music stand, headphones or slippers. Thank you, from a really good kid.”
Jeff:
Touching. And this one was one of my favorite ones. This person doesn't ask for anything, but Bailey says," I hope you and Mrs. Claus had fun at a tropical island, and I wish I was there to see you on it. Merry Christmas."
Jeff:
We've just read a handful of letters, Monica. Are there any letters that you've read that just stick in your mind and, and hit you in the feels?
Monica:
Yes. So I have one of my all-time favorite. It was about an autistic boy who loved Lilo and Stitch. He was a young man with autism and he wrote in asking for a Lilo and Stitch plushy. His generous adopter found exactly what he wanted and sent it to him and his mom wrote back to us and just was so overjoyed. She was thanking the adopter saying how much it meant because her son was older and had a disability and oftentimes she felt like her son would get overlooked when it came to Christmas. She was his main caregiver and the letter that, you know, he wrote and just getting those gifts back really touched her. And that really, for me, was the, is the essence of, you know, the holiday and the essence of why we do Operation Santa.
Jeff:
Indeed. So let's move on to how Operation Santa actually works. If someone does wanna participate either as a letter writer or an adopter, when can they start to get involved?
Monica:
Oh, so they can start to get involved now. So letter writing season opened September 14th. Kids, children, families can write letters and mail them to 123 Elf Road, North Pole, 88888. And one of the interesting things about the zip code is we chose that zip code because the 88888 looks like snowmen. And so we though it'd be super cute for, you know, the holiday season coming up. So definitely, you know, if you wanted to get involved, you can write your letter now. The last day to mail letters will be December 5th. And if you are interested in adopting, our registration opens on November 2nd. You can log onto the website and create an account to become an adopter. And November 16th is when adopters can start reviewing and adopting 2026 letters.
Jeff:
Just curious, so do letters ever go unanswered that have been accepted and posted on there? Do all of these letters get adopted?
Monica:
All of the letters do not get adopted. Again, unfortunately, you know, we, we would hope that they can, but, the program relies on adopters. So the more people we have that come out, that sign up, that want to, you know, provide this generosity to people, the more letters that can get responded to.
Jeff:
So for anyone listening that might be interested, if those letters that Karla and I read to you a few moments ago, hopefully they do hit you in the feels and motivate you to participate in this amazing program.
Karla:
So pivoting just a little, if I'm a parent who's sending a letter in, I'm probably worried about privacy and safety. So we read a couple letters, we did have some names, but how does the US Postal Service make sure that the kids' personal information is protected?
Monica:
Yeah. So PII is our top priority when it comes to Operation Santa. We redact all personally identified information that includes last name, addresses, school names, sibling names, neighborhoods, anything that could help identify a child. After redacting, the letters go through multiple rounds of proofreading to make sure that nothing slips through the cracks. You know, there's no names, there's nothing, you know, tricky in there. And after those multiple rounds, they're posted and adopters will only see the child's first name, their state, and what they're requesting. So for an example, when you log onto the operation website, all you'll see is that Timmy asks for a Lego set and Timmy lives in California, and that's it. That's all you get. Another way that we, you know, take precaution when it comes to the PII is we have a QR code system. So once an adopter selects a letter and they purchase their gift and they're ready to ship their gift, they have their unique QR code that they will take to the post office.
Monica:
The adopter will give the QR code to the clerk. The clerk will scan the QR code, weigh the box, take the payment, give the receipt, and then after the customer leaves, that is when the shipping labels will print out. So the clerk will then apply the shipping labels to the box after the adopter leaves, which is another safety measure that we take to make sure that the adopter never sees the shipping address.
Karla:
So does the adopter get confirmation that the gift was received?
Monica:
Absolutely. So each adopter that creates an account will have a tracking status within their dashboard. So they'll be able to see when their package is, you know, when they send it off, they'll be able to see when it is in transit, and then they'll actually get an email that confirms the package was delivered.
Jeff:
So the adopter never knows where the gift is going. What about the Postal Service? Is there any protections inside the Postal Service, are they handled any differently, Operation Santa packages, handled any differently?
Monica:
Well, all of our clerks are trained on how to properly handle. And I think from the point where ensuring that the customer doesn't have any access to it, once the shipping label was applied and employees have it, all employees are authorized, you know, employees that are able to use it. So there's nothing, you know, outside of the normal dispatch process that you would go for Operation Santa once we apply that label to it. It runs through regularly.
Jeff:
So there's no special markings on the boxes as an Operation Santa gift or anything like that?
Monica:
Well, the shipping label, yeah, the shipping label will have the return address for the Operation Santa. But outside of that, yeah, it's processed how normal packages would be processed through the network.
Karla:
So it's my understanding that this particular process was put in place just to protect the kids' privacy and safety, which is huge because it makes the whole process much easier for the adopter, and also, again, protects the children writing the letters. We did an episode on Operation Santa back in 2021. So Monica, how has the program grown since then?
Monica:
Oh my God, it has grown so much. And it's crazy to think that it's just been like, you know, five or six years, right, since 2021. We've grown a lot. So I would say in 2020, we had about 24,000 letters that were adopted, and we did about 21,000 packages that year. And just in 2025 alone, we've doubled that with nearly 48,000 letters being adopted and over 38,000 packages being shipped. So for me, that's a significant growth, , because it is, again, it's roughly doubled to what we did in 2020, but it also is a testament to Operation Santa and to the generous adopters that support Operation Santa.
Karla:
So were there any expansions that were done in the past year?
Monica:
Yes. And one of the expansions that I love, last year we introduced an expanded team feature, which basically gave every team member in a participating organization the ability to adopt a page from a family letter. So we are super, super excited about that. So every team member can now adopt a page from a family letter. So as an example, if you're a team of five and you adopt a family of five, each team member can claim one child's letter and fulfill their wishes independently. And this has been super successful, and it was a big, just a big fan favorite for all type of corporations and organizations that participated in Operation Santa.
Jeff:
I also understand that Toys R Us is partnering with Operation Santa again this year, and that should make it a little easier for people who are responding to letters.
Monica:
Yes. I'm so excited that Toys R Us will be back as the official online catalog partner. This is our third year in partnership with them, and our third year of doing Operation Santa together. One of the things that, you know, as we talk about Operation Santa evolving throughout the year, one of our things was just ensuring that we are providing our customers with, you know, convenience, basically. So we created the online catalog, where people are able to go shop online, place their order, and Toys R Us handles the rest from there. So the catalog makes it just super convenient, and it's no need to ship, shop, wrap, or figure out or go to a post office, you know, all the things that come along with a holiday rush because Toys R Us is right there to make it easy for them.
Karla:
Are the people at Toys R Us able to see information about the kids who are writing to Santa?
Monica:
No. So no, no, no. Again, one of the biggest things with Operation Santa is the protection of PII. Toys R Us never has access to the child's name, state, address, our location is completely anonymous. They don't have any identifying information. Adopters order through the Toys R Us operation mini site. Toys R Us packages everything. And Toys R Us also operates with the QR code system to where Toys R Us places the QR code on each box, and that's all they include. The boxes are then picked up by the United States Postal Service, and they are scanned on our machines, and that is when they are relabeled with the correct shipping address and sent out to the child.
Karla:
Given how diverse the US population is, can families submit Operation Senta letters in languages other than English?
Monica:
Absolutely. We encourage any and everybody to submit letters in all languages. Absolutely. Operation Santa is open for everybody because we believe Santa is for everybody, right? So, we encourage all languages to submit letters, yes.
Karla:
Okay. Follow up to that. Just out of curiosity, do we do any international mailings for Operation Santa?
Monica:
We do not.
Jeff:
Alright. You've, you've hooked me. How does someone sign up to adopt one of these letters for these children?
Monica:
Oh, it's so simple. So you just go to www.uspsoperationsanta.com, where you will click, “create an account” and you sign up with basic information, right? You just, your name, your email, your phone number, your address. You'll go through a verification process, which is just to confirm that you're a real person and you're not a bot. And once you're registered, you'll be able to adopt a letter beginning November 16th. You can browse letters and adopt one or more, or many, or all. Any letters that speak to you on November 16th. So then you either shop through the online Toys R Us catalog or purchase items yourself and ship them via United States Postal Service. Just make sure to ship your gift by December 12th, because we wanna make sure that it is delivered before December 25th.
Karla:
So, Monica, before we let you go, for listeners who want to participate in Operation Santa, what are the most important things for them to know? So now we have where you go, USPSoperationsanta.com, but what else do our potential adopters need to know?
Monica:
Oh, the number one thing I would say is just to participate. Whether you're a letter writer or adopter, your involvement really matters. You know, if you're a business or organization and you wanna form a team, do something cheerful for the holiday season, it's a great way to build community, and just deliver cheer together as a team. If you're an individual adopting, even one letter can change someone's holiday or someone's life. You know, I just talked about how a little boy got, you know, the Lilo and Stitch, and that was from one person, that was from one adopter. So any small effort counts. And then also I would say just spread the word. A lot of people don't know about Operation Santa and we wanna continue to kind of amplify it the best that we can. So just continue to tell your friends and family, if they're able to write, support, share on their social media, we would love all of that.
Monica:
And just to reiterate, you know, letter adoption opens again November 16th, so if you are interested in becoming an adopter, November 16th is the day that you can do that.
Jeff:
If a child is writing a letter to Operation Santa, are there any tips that they can take to heart or the moms and dads who are helping the children write the letters? Are there any tips to help the letters get adopted?
Monica:
So letters are randomly selected. I wouldn't say there are any tips that can help them get adopted because they're randomly selected and it's not a guaranteed program, but I would say there are tips to ensure that your letter remains eligible, right? So that is writing legibly. We wanna make sure that we are able to read your handwriting. A lot of times children are still figuring out their handwriting, so it is okay for parents, , you know, caregivers to write in place of their child. Also no 3D art, no glitter. We love it, it's cute, but when we open it, it's a disaster. So no additional glitter. And just making sure that you're as detailed as possible, and that can include, you know, clothing size, any specific toys that you're looking for, make sure that you have your apartment number, all the details that matter, because we wanna ensure that the gift that is for you is, gets to you.
Jeff:
All right, Monica, thank you so much for coming in and talking about this amazing program. I think the growth of the program is really a tribute to everything that the Postal Service is doing, throwing the resources at this. I wish we could get more letters adopted, to be able to fulfill all of these children's dreams.
Monica:
Absolutely.
Karla:
Yeah, definitely worthwhile and something that we hope our listeners, even if you're not in a position to adopt, share the information with your family and friends, and let's adopt as many as we can. And if you know of a needy family or a needy child, encourage them to participate, and include all of the eligible information so that their letter may be selected as a potential adoptee.
Karla:
All right, Jeff, it's time for another edition of Did You Know? What interesting fact do you have for this episode?
Jeff:
Well, this one involves a date that does not exist on any official calendar. The date, October 32nd, 1964.
Karla:
Okay, Jeff, October 32nd? October only has 31 days. You've got to be making this up.
Jeff:
I wish I was, and I know it sounds crazy, but it's real, or at least it was real for a military base in the Pacific Ocean about 62 years ago. It happened at Kwajalein, an atoll in the Marshall Islands about 2,100 nautical miles southwest of Hawaii.
Karla:
Okay, so what was going on there and why did we need to invent a date?
Jeff:
Well, it was a scheduling problem. Kwajalein is west of the International Date Line, which means it was 16 to 17 hours ahead of the mainland United States. And when it was a Saturday in Kwajalein, it was still only a Friday at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama where the command and control operations were located.
Karla:
It had to be a nightmare coordinating something as complicated as missile testing.
Jeff:
And that's why the army came up with a wild solution. Rather than operate a day ahead of the mainland, they decided to realign Kwajalein’s calendar with the United States by giving them an extra day. So on Saturday, October 31st, 1964, instead of rolling over to Sunday, November 1st, Kwajalein got a second Saturday, officially designated as October 32nd.
Karla:
So let me get this straight. They just invented a day?
Jeff:
That they did. And the Post Office clerks postmarked all the mail and packages that came through on that second Saturday as October 32, 1964.
Karla:
I bet the kids love getting a bonus holiday out of that one. Can you actually find letters with that postmark?
Jeff:
Apparently you can, and it's one of the rarest postmarks in postal history. That extra day itself happened only once and only in 1964, but Kwajalein continued operating on that US aligned schedule for the next 30 years. In 1993, many years after the Marshall Islands had become a republic, Kwajalein needed to realign with the rest of the nation, so they did it again. But this time, they went to bed on a Friday night and woke up on Sunday morning skipping the entire Saturday.
Karla:
So October 32nd may have come and gone, but it lives on in postal history.
Jeff:
And that postmark is a reminder of how the Postal Service keeps the mail moving no matter what, even if it means accommodating a made-up date that existed only one time in history.
Karla:
Well, that's all for this episode of Mailin’ It! Don't forget to subscribe to Mailin’ It! wherever you get your podcasts to make sure you don't miss the next episode and follow along on Instagram @USPostalService, X @USPS, Facebook and YouTube.com/@USPS.