*I always wondered what happens to all those letters children send to Santa around Christmas time each year? As a parent, I always answered my daughter’s letters to Kris Kringle. And ate half of the cookies and drank the milk she so diligently left on a table by the tree. I can’t be the only goofy adult out there that likes doing this kind of stuff. So if you’re goofy too, the United States Post Office needs you pronto. Santa needs help answering all those letters from children…or maybe you can just help the families and buy the kids a gift.
This year, due to the catastrophic events that took place in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, special focus will be on the families in these areas.
Operation Santa has been in effect for the past 105 years, isn’t that amazing? The program lets individuals “adopt” a letter written to Santa and respond.
Of course this is done on a volunteer basis.
“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.
…and if you live in New York, the USPS has made your participation even easier. NYC is so far the only city where Kris Kringle’s helpers can browse letters via website. This is a trial run, but if its successful it may be extended to all locations in future years.
Oh goodness, I’m late already! I’d better get going. You? Head on over to your local post office. If they aren’t participating, I’ll bet they can point you in the direction of an office that is.
