In 1912, Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock created the first Santa’s mailroom. Since then, the USPS has upheld a duty to deliver hundreds of thousands of letters to Santa Claus and send his presents to children around the United States, with the public joining in to help in 1940. It went digital in 2017, with a massive expansion two years later.

The program goes through letters, sends them to volunteers after omitting identifying information, after which the volunteers buy presents and send them back.

Santa’s address is at Santa, 123 Elf Road, North Pole, 88888, and include your full name and return address, including your apartment number if applicable, and use First-Class Stamp. Make sure to write legibly, and list prefered gifts in order of preference (and keep in mind budgets). You can begin reading letters on November 20, 35 days before Christmas. The suggested shipping day is December 18, one week before Christmas. The final shipping day, however, is January 10, 2024; a whole two weeks and two days after Christmas! These are the guidelines for shipping.

There are five participating post offices within twenty miles; Palestine Post Office, Robinson Post Office, Carlisle Post Office, Sullivan Post Office, and Oblong Post Office.

The operation hit the big screen three years ago, in 2020, with the documentary Dear Santa (link to the official trailer). Directed and written by Dana Nachman and starring Damion DiGrazio, Orlando Mendez, Michael Muñoz, and Andrew Wallace, the film takes the audience along the journey of each of Santa Claus’s letters.

Here’s a link to write to Santa Claus, here’s a link to read some of the letters, and here’s a link to ship gifts.