Ever wondered what happens to Santa’s post? Thousands of children write to Father Christmas every year. While Grinches and Scrooges might assume these letters end up in a landfill, the reality is much more heartwarming. The US Postal Service (USPS) has devised a special program to ensure as many as possible receive a reply and don’t end up in the Dead Letters Office (DLO).  

The program, Operation Santa, has been in action for over a century. Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock, who served under the Taft administration, first established a mailroom for Santa in 1912. Responses were not from the man in red himself, nor from his elves, but from USPS employees who had been granted permission to read and reply to letters addressed to Mr Claus. 

As sackfuls of letters poured in, the program was expanded to include members of the public. This meant that from the 1940s, charities, businesses, and ordinary people could volunteer to reply to Santa’s letters. This continues to be the case today, where you can sign up to “adopt” a letter and send a response and a gift. 

As you might expect, the program has continued to develop with the times. Since 2019 (or 2017, if you are based in New York), more tech-savvy letter writers have been able to message Santa online. More analog-minded folk can continue to write to Santa at his official address at 123 Elf Road, North Pole. 

It is not just in the US that children can expect a reply. Other parts of the world have developed similar programs to spread the festive cheer. In the UK, the Royal Mail replies to letters sent to Santa’s Grotto in Reindeerland. In New Zealand, children are encouraged to send a letter to Santa’s Workshop. While postal strikes in Canada have interfered with Santa’s mail service, CBC reports, Canada Post has promised to deliver all letters with the HOH OHO postal code to the North Pole in time for Christmas Eve. 

Sent your letter and want to know how Santa is getting on delivering presents? NORAD has released a Santa tracker.