“Operation Santa-2011” Kick-Off

Who:

Boston Post Office

When:

Monday, November 28, 2011 at 9:00 a.m.

Where:

Operation Santa Office

25 Dorchester Avenue, Boston MA 02205

(Main Post Office located adjacent to South Station tracks).

Background:

Once again this year, the Boston Post Office will be reaching out to our employees and customers in helping needy families have a Happy Holiday Season. Christmas is about children and there are families in the Boston Area that will need some help this year.

Employees and the public can stop by the “Operation Santa Office” beginning Monday, November 28 through Tuesday, December 20 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM (Monday through Friday) and 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Saturdays to select a letter from a needy family.

The Operation Santa program will launch the 2011 campaign with a “Kick-Off” on Monday, November 28, 2011 at 9 a.m. Santa will join us for light refreshments in the Operation Santa office located on the first floor of the Fort Point Station

Our doors will close for the selection of letters at 3:00 PM on December 20 to allow ample time for gifts to be purchased. All gifts must be boxed, taped securely and brought to the Fort Point Station Retail Office also located at 25 Dorchester Avenue where you will need to pay for the postage to have your package shipped to the family. When you select a letter proper addressing information will be provided

Packages must be received no later than Thursday, December 22 to ensure delivery by Christmas Eve.

Unpackaged gifts will not be accepted. All gifts must be ready to be shipped when brought into the post office. All gifts must fit in an acceptable shipping package…..you can find shipping packaging at your local post office.

Please consult our website for restrictions on package sizes and additional surcharges for oversized packages at the USPS website.

Information Phone Number: 617-654-5802

Operation Santa Claus kicks off this year  on December 2nd at the historic James Farley Post Office in New York City.

Hours of Operation

• Monday – Tuesday – Wednesday – Friday – Saturday  9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Thursday – 9 a.m – 7 p.m
• Closed on Sunday

Telephone number

212-330-3000

You will be able to pick up “Dear Santa” letters during these hours of operation and the final date is December 23, 2011.

Please check back on December 1st, 2011 for the current USPS Operation Santa Claus directory  as USPS.com has promised to make it available by then.

Source: The Huffington Post

Each winter, the New York City Post Office dedicates a team of workers to opening the millions of letters that pour in for Santa.

Local volunteers also pitch in, offering to buy gifts for needy kids who pen the letters — like one 8-year-old boy whose unemployed father can’t provide him winter clothes.

Together, this team of people make holiday wishes a reality.

NBC Nightly News went behind the scenes at Operation Santa in New York City.

WATCH:

There are plenty of ways to get into the holiday frame of mind. We sing songs, watch movies, attend parties, and we read. Here is a list of heartwarming and endearing Christmas stories to read for yourself or to your children during the holiday season.

Another suggestion is to read to residents of a local nursing home or children’s hospital, hospice patients or area schools and homeless shelters. Getting children involved is a great way to start a family Christmas tradition and put a smile on less fortunate faces.

The best stories are the ones we hear over and over again. They conjure up visions of sugarplums, ghosts, snowflakes, treasured memories, and funny scenes. Here are some suggestions for holiday stories to read that just might become family favorites.

1. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens – This story was originally written as a ghost story but turned out to be a better lesson of the meaning of Christmas. Ebenezer Scrooge has developed a cold heart over the years that resulted in bitter loneliness until he is given a great gift by his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley. 
2. The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry – Two lovers who want to give the perfect gift to each other sacrifice their most precious belongings to make the other happy. It is a funny story of love and irony. 
3. ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore – Also known as “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, it is one of the most popular poems of the Christmas season, it tells of a man’s surprise on Christmas Eve when he encounters the red-suited icon in the flesh. It is a must read to the family on Christmas Eve. 
4. The Nutcracker – We have all heard of the ballet of the same name by Tchaikovsky. It is the story of a little girl and a nutcracker that turns into a prince. He has to fight the three-headed rat king in order to save the little girl. See the play  or the ballet if you can and definitely read the story. 
5. The Nativity – This is the story of the birth of Jesus. It has been the subject of countless movies and cartoons. Mary and Joseph journey to Bethlehem where she reaches her time to give birth to the Christ child. 
6. Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus – This story is actually a response from the editor that appeared in the New York Sun to a letter written by Virginia O’Hanlon. They turned the response into a cartoon short. It is a letter espousing the timeless quality of the Santa Claus tradition.

What are some of your favorite Christmas tales? Add them to the list above for a delightful family reading every night of the holiday season leading up to Christmas.

LETTERS to SANTA PROGRAM

Delivering the Holidays, Delivering Dreams

As close as we can tell, the Postal Service began receiving letters to Santa Claus more than 100 years ago. However, it was in 1912 that Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock authorized local postmasters to allow postal employees and citizens to respond to the letters in the program that became known as Operation Santa.

In 1940, mail volume for Santa increased so much the Postal Service invited charitable organizations and corporations to participate to provide written responses to the letters and small gifts to the children who wrote them. Over the past 69 years, the program has taken on a life of its own. Postal facilities in cities around the country today allow charitable organizations, major corporations, local businesses and individuals to adopt letters to Santa to make children’s holiday dreams come true from coast to coast.

Individuals and organizations interested in adopting a letter should go to a participating office and complete a participation form. Click here to print a PDF of participating post offices.

You can also call your local post office to see if this wonderful program is available in your area. Call 1-800-ASK-USPS.

Wisconsin USPS Operation Santa Claus Locations

USPS – Milwaukee Post Office
345 West St. Paul
Milwaukee, WI 53201
Telephone: 414-270-2308

USPS – Monroe Post Office
1724 11th Street
Monroe, WI 53566
Telephone: 608-325-3065

USPS – West Bend Post Office
607 Elm St
West Bend, WI 53095
Telephone: 262-334-3299

Participating Post Office Locations Across America

Click here to print or view Operation Santa Claus locations in other cities.

Click here to print Individual Participant Form.

Click here to print Organization Participant Form.

Call your local post office to find out if this wonderful program is available in your area. 1-800-ASK-USPS.

Please email us with new locations that are not listed on this form and we will immediately add them to our list!

Thank you so much for your interest and participation in Operation Santa Claus and we wish you and yours the very merriest Christmas!

Please visit Operation Letters To Santa for almost 1000 pages of Winter Holiday and Christmas family traditions, recipes, games, crafts, Christmas sheet music, Christmas carols, tales and so much more!

For beautifully nostalgic and vintage FREE desktop wallpapers for Christmas please click here.

LETTERS to SANTA PROGRAM

Delivering the Holidays, Delivering Dreams

As close as we can tell, the Postal Service began receiving letters to Santa Claus more than 100 years ago. However, it was in 1912 that Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock authorized local postmasters to allow postal employees and citizens to respond to the letters in the program that became known as Operation Santa.

In 1940, mail volume for Santa increased so much the Postal Service invited charitable organizations and corporations to participate to provide written responses to the letters and small gifts to the children who wrote them. Over the past 69 years, the program has taken on a life of its own. Postal facilities in cities around the country today allow charitable organizations, major corporations, local businesses and individuals to adopt letters to Santa to make children’s holiday dreams come true from coast to coast.

Individuals and organizations interested in adopting a letter should go to a participating office and complete a participation form. Click here to print a PDF of participating post offices.

You can also call your local post office to see if this wonderful program is available in your area. Call 1-800-ASK-USPS.

Puerto Rico USPS Operation Santa Claus Locations

USPS – San Juan Post Office
California Office Puerto Rico
585 Ave FD Roosevelt Ste 202
San Juan, PR 00963
Telephone: 787-622-1659

Participating Post Office Locations Across America

Click here to print or view Operation Santa Claus locations in other cities.

Click here to print Individual Participant Form.

Click here to print Organization Participant Form.

Call your local post office to find out if this wonderful program is available in your area. 1-800-ASK-USPS.

Please email us with new locations that are not listed on this form and we will immediately add them to our list!

Thank you so much for your interest and participation in Operation Santa Claus and we wish you and yours the very merriest Christmas!

Please visit Operation Letters To Santa for almost 1000 pages of Winter Holiday and Christmas family traditions, recipes, games, crafts, Christmas sheet music, Christmas carols, tales and so much more!

For beautifully nostalgic and vintage FREE desktop wallpapers for Christmas please click here.

LETTERS to SANTA PROGRAM

Delivering the Holidays, Delivering Dreams

As close as we can tell, the Postal Service began receiving letters to Santa Claus more than 100 years ago. However, it was in 1912 that Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock authorized local postmasters to allow postal employees and citizens to respond to the letters in the program that became known as Operation Santa.

In 1940, mail volume for Santa increased so much the Postal Service invited charitable organizations and corporations to participate to provide written responses to the letters and small gifts to the children who wrote them. Over the past 69 years, the program has taken on a life of its own. Postal facilities in cities around the country today allow charitable organizations, major corporations, local businesses and individuals to adopt letters to Santa to make children’s holiday dreams come true from coast to coast.

Individuals and organizations interested in adopting a letter should go to a participating office and complete a participation form. Click here to print a PDF of participating post offices.

You can also call your local post office to see if this wonderful program is available in your area. Call 1-800-ASK-USPS.

Pennsylvania USPS Operation Santa Claus Locations

USPS – Philadelphia Main Post Office
3000 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Telephone: 215-895-8971

Participating Post Office Locations Across America

Click here to print or view Operation Santa Claus locations in other cities.

Click here to print Individual Participant Form.

Click here to print Organization Participant Form.

Call your local post office to find out if this wonderful program is available in your area. 1-800-ASK-USPS.

Please email us with new locations that are not listed on this form and we will immediately add them to our list!

Thank you so much for your interest and participation in Operation Santa Claus and we wish you and yours the very merriest Christmas!

Please visit Operation Letters To Santa for almost 1000 pages of Winter Holiday and Christmas family traditions, recipes, games, crafts, Christmas sheet music, Christmas carols, tales and so much more!

For beautifully nostalgic and vintage FREE desktop wallpapers for Christmas please click here.