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USPS 'Operation Santa' campaign available online in Boston for first time ever

BOSTON — The United States Postal Service got into the holiday spirit Monday by kicking off its century-old holiday giving campaign.

Operation Santa started in 1912 when Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock allowed postal workers and citizens to respond to letters sent to Santa Claus.

In the 1940s, mail for Santa grew so much, the postal service invited charities and companies to take part in writing letters back to the children and sending them small gifts.

This year, for the first time in 107 years, people in Boston and 14 other cities can go online and browse through the letters.

They can adopt a letter and help the child have a magical holiday when they otherwise might not.

The postal service said only letters sent to the following address are sent to the North Pole:

Santa 
123 Elf Road
North Pole, 88888

Children are reminded to include relevant details with their request. For example, if they want ballet shoes, they should tell Santa what size shoe they wear. If they have siblings who also need presents, tell Santa their ages.

The postal service said the child writing the letter should put their full name and address in the upper left corner of the envelope.

No last names, address or contact information of the children are shared with the donor. Instead, the postal service assigns each letter a code that links to the child’s address.

People who chose to adopt a letter online will be required to go through a short registration and identification process.

They’re also responsible for paying the postage to mail the gift to the child.

Letters must be postmarked by December 14. The sooner the letters are sent, the more likely they’re to receive a response, according to the postal service.

For more information on how to adopt a letter or how to write a letter to Santa, visit uspsoperationsanta.com.