WASHINGTON — Southern Marylanders who want to answer a child’s letter to Santa this year can sign up now, but they will have to wait until Nov. 16 to pick one.
Registration for USPS Operation Santa opened Nov. 4, the U.S. Postal Service announced. Every would-be adopter must create an account and pass an identity check at USPSOperationSanta.com before taking part, and the check must be repeated each year, even by people who adopted letters before.
The program, now in its 114th year, is one way local families, offices, churches and civic groups can help households in need during the holidays without leaving home. The Postal Service is especially asking groups to team up this year.
Key dates
| Sept. 14 | Postal Service began accepting letters to Santa |
| Nov. 4 | Adopter registration and ID verification opened |
| Monday, Nov. 16 | Approved adopters can begin choosing letters and shopping |
| Saturday, Dec. 12 | Deadline to ship gifts |
How it works
Once verified, adopters browse letters posted on the program website and choose one or more from an individual child or a whole family.
Gifts can be bought two ways. Adopters can shop on their own and mail the package from a participating Post Office, or use Santa’s Gift Shoppe, an online catalog run with Toys”R”Us that ships gifts directly to recipients. The program website lists which Post Office locations participate.
Sheila Holman, the Postal Service’s vice president of marketing, said letters often outnumber adopters and many come from entire households. She encouraged companies and organizations to form teams to adopt a household together so everyone in the home gets something.
The Postal Service warns that not every letter it receives will be posted online, and a posted letter is not guaranteed to be adopted.
For families writing in
Children who want to write to Santa can still send letters. Rules for letter writers, including the mailing address and the last day to mail, are posted on USPSOperationSanta.com. Parents should check those details before dropping a letter in the mail.
Operation Santa is one of several ways to help local children this season. Southern Maryland toy drives and angel trees run through county agencies, churches and nonprofits, and the Chronicle lists many of them on its community calendar.
