Holiday letters must be postmarked by Dec. 5. People adopting letters have until Dec. 12 to ship gifts, but receiving a gift is not guaranteed.
Households in Iowa and Illinois can participate in USPS Operation Santa 2026, a nationwide holiday program that connects letters to Santa with people willing to fulfill gift requests. The U.S. Postal Service has accepted letters since Sept. 14, and letter adoption begins Monday, Nov. 16.
Letters may be written in Spanish, and USPS offers printable letter templates in English and Spanish. Sending a letter does not require an online account, but people who want to adopt letters must register and verify their identities.
The program accepts letters from people of all ages throughout the continental United States, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. USPS does not select letters based on financial need. Eligible letters are randomly chosen for possible publication after identifying information has been removed.
Letters must be postmarked by Dec. 5 and include a return address
Each letter must contain the writer’s first and last name and a complete return address, including an apartment number when applicable. The return address should appear on both the letter and the envelope.
Mail the letter through USPS with sufficient postage to:
Santa Claus
123 Elf Road
North Pole, 88888
USPS recommends writing legibly and listing requested gifts in order of preference. Specific details, such as clothing sizes, colors, book titles or toy names, help adopters identify suitable gifts.
Families sending multiple letters should place them together in one envelope, with additional postage if necessary. This increases the likelihood that the letters will be posted together as a family. Schools and organizations submitting letters for several children should instead mail each letter in its own stamped envelope.
Letters should remain flat, without glitter or glued-on decorations that could interfere with processing. The USPS letter-writing instructions include downloadable templates in English and Spanish.
Verified adopters can select letters beginning Nov. 16
Registration and identity verification for adopters opened Nov. 2. Participants must create a new verified account for the 2026 season, even if they adopted letters in previous years.
Beginning Nov. 16, verified adopters can browse letters through USPS Operation Santa. Letters written in Spanish can be found using the language filter. A state filter also allows adopters to look for letters from Iowa, Illinois and other states.
Letter availability varies as USPS processes new submissions and other participants adopt requests. Additional letters are scheduled to appear daily through Dec. 12.
Each registered individual may adopt up to 20 letters. Adopters may select letters from individual writers or entire households, and teams can work together to fulfill requests from a family.
USPS removes personally identifying information before publishing letters. Adopters do not receive recipients’ mailing addresses.
Adopters must ship gifts by Dec. 12
USPS offers two options for purchasing and sending gifts:
- Santa’s Gift Shoppe: Adopters can purchase gifts from the online catalog powered by Toys”R”Us. Packaging and delivery are handled through the service, with a flat shipping charge.
- Participating Post Office locations: Adopters can purchase gifts independently, prepare packages and bring them to a participating USPS location. Shipping costs depend on package size, weight and distance.
Adopters mailing gifts independently must bring the QR code associated with their adopted letter. A USPS retail associate scans the code and prepares the shipping label without disclosing the recipient’s address. Self-service kiosks cannot be used for these shipments.
The USPS gift-shipping instructions include a locator for participating Post Office locations. Adopting a letter from the same or a nearby state may reduce shipping costs for independently mailed packages.
USPS recommends shipping gifts as early as possible to improve their chances of arriving before Christmas. Adopters who can no longer fulfill a request should cancel the adoption through their account so the letter can become available again.
Mailing a letter does not guarantee a Christmas gift
Not every letter received by USPS will be published for adoption. Even when a letter appears online or is selected by an adopter, delivery of a gift is not guaranteed.
USPS cannot confirm receipt of individual letters, and letter writers cannot track adoption status through an account.
The adoption website closes Saturday, Dec. 12, at 8 p.m. Eastern, or 7 p.m. Central time.
Stay in the know with stories that matter — visit HolaAmericaNews.com for the latest news, culture and community updates!
Facebook Comments
