SANTA MONICA—The U.S. Postal Service is hoping to facilitate the holidays for kids whose families have been impacted by the pandemic or other hardships this year by taking its Operation Santa program nationwide. This includes Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, Bel Air, etc.
The program is meant to encourage kids from across the country to write letters to “Santa.” Once the letters are received and posted online, others are encouraged to “adopt” and respond to one or more letters of their choosing.
The goal, as stated by the USPS, is to “make it possible for individuals and organizations to adopt these letters and send responses and thoughtful gifts in Santa’s place.” The mission is “to provide a channel where people can give back and help children and families — enabling them to have a magical holiday when they otherwise might not — one letter to Santa at a time.”
It originated more than 100 years ago when the United States Post Office began receiving letters to Santa Claus. According to the USPS, “In 1912, Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock authorized local Postmasters to allow postal employees and citizens to respond to the letters — a program that eventually became known as Operation Santa.”
To see how to write, click here.
