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How It Works

Every year, hopeful people send letters to Santa with their wishes for the holiday season. Discover how you can be part of the magic.

How It Works

  • STEP 1

    Write

    Every season, thousands of people write letters to Santa. We remove any personal details and post them on our site.

    Explore Writing
  • STEP 2

    Adopt

    Generous people adopt these letters and find just the right gift to help fulfill holiday wishes.

    Adopt a Letter
  • STEP 3

    Ship

    Letter adopters shop and ship gifts through Santa’s Gift Shoppe, our online catalog powered by Toys“R”Us®, or on their own with USPS.

    Ship a Gift

Key 2025 Dates

Sep15

Holiday Season Begins for Letter Writers

The mailroom starts accepting letters to Santa

Nov3

Registration Opens for Adopters

Create and verify your account to be ready for letter adoption

Nov17

Letter Adoption Starts

Read the latest letters, find a favorite to fulfill, and try to send your gift as early as possible

Dec6

Last Call for Letter Writers

Send your letters to Santa, following these helpful tips how-to’s

Dec13

Last Day to Ship Gifts

Last day to adopt a letter, and the recommended date to ship your gift by for expected delivery before December 25

Ready to Get Started?

Read Letters

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I adopt an entire family?

Yes. Letters from the same household are posted collectively as a family. Because we don’t want anyone to think Santa forgot about them, we encourage families to be adopted together and for each family member to receive something. You can adopt families individually or as a team — the team format is set up to make it easy to join forces, divide up the wishes and fulfill all the letters together!  

Are there letters in Spanish? Any other languages?

Yes. While most of the letters received are in English, the letters written in Spanish are posted and are searchable using the language filter. Occasionally, letters written in other languages come in — we will be working on adding additional language filters in the future.

Where can I find the letter I adopted?

Your adopted letters can be found under Your Letters in your account profile and in the email account you used to register. If you’ve checked all places and cannot find it, please send an email, with the Letter ID Number, to operationsanta@usps.gov.

What is Santa’s Gift Shoppe?

Once you’ve adopted one or more letters, you can buy a gift in Santa’s Gift Shoppe ↗, our convenient option for shopping online. This online catalog collection of gifts is powered by Toys“R”Us® exclusively for USPS Operation Santa adopters. Purchases from Santa’s Gift Shoppe save a trip to a Post OfficeTM location — they’re packed and delivered to the recipient for you. 

Do I have to fulfill expensive gift requests?

No, you don’t have to fulfill expensive requests. Hopeful as ever, kids do tend to wish big. But just hearing back from Santa is a win!

See All FAQs