By Diane M. Moore
Letters to Santa have long been a tradition for children during this time of the year. The United States Postal Service has been accepting letters for 110 years for the USPS Operation Santa program.
While the Chipley and Bonifay post offices report only about ten letters to Santa come in annually, there is no way to know how many in our local area are part of Operation Santa in its new form.
Holiday expectations can put extra pressure on families who want to make it a special time, but just canÂ’t. ThatÂ’s where the USPS Operation Santa program and generous postal service customers can help make the holidays a joyous and magical time. Since the program began, hundreds of thousands of less fortunate children and their families have been helped by the kindness of others.
Families can now send a wishlist to Santa and all they have to do is write a letter, put it in an envelope affixed with a First-Class Mail Forever stamp, and make sure to include the full return address, apartment number, directional information, and zip code and send it to SantaÂ’s official workshop address. However, there is no guarantee that all the letters that are submitted will be adopted.
Those letters need to be postmarked by Dec. 12 in order to be uploaded to the website for adoption by Dec. 15. According to USPS the best way to better chances of being adopted is to be specific in what is being asked for on the wish list such as: sizes, colors, styles, favorite authors, book titles, toys, etc.
For those worried about anonymity, SantaÂ’s Elves make sure that all personally identifiable information is removed before it is uploaded to USPSOperationSanta.com for adoption. Tips for writing letters can be found on the same website.
Whether you believe in Santa or not, the nondenominational program is intended to help as many deserving families as possible experience a happy holiday season.
For those who may want to adopt a letter, there are a few things to know. Potential adopters, once approved, can visit USPSOperationSanta.com and read through the posted letters, then pick one or more theyÂ’d like to fulfill. Then just follow the directions on how to grant that special wish for a child.
For security reasons, all potential adopters must be vetted through a short registration and ID verification process before being allowed to adopt any letter. Those who have adopted letters in the past must still be verified each year. Companies, teams, and groups are welcome to adopt letters too. Letters will be open for adoption on Nov. 28 with the last day of adoption being set for Dec. 21.
Adopters can come from any location in the United States but will remain anonymous because, after all, the gifts are from Santa.
Letters for adoption need to be sent to the following address:
Santa Claus – 123 Elf Road, North Pole, 88888
Staff Report 
Hannah Collins