Dear Santa! This Is Kris Kringle's Real Address

Sending Santa your Christmas list (and mentioning that you're definitely on the Nice List) has been a tradition for decades. Though, most kids never really know where to send it. Some mail is simply addressed "Santa," while other letters say "Santa, North Pole." Either way, we all know that the mail gets to the big man in red no matter—after all, Santa is magic!

Even still, the US Postal Service is coming in clutch again this year, as they released new-and-improved information about Kris Kringle himself in recent years. That's right—the USPS knows Santa's actual real-life address and they've shared it to help bring Christmas cheer to all families!

Here's everything you need to know about how to write Santa Claus a letter this holiday season, Santa's address, what address to use and more.

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What is Santa Claus' address?

If your child is planning to write a letter to Santa this year, but you have no idea where to send it, don't worry! Letters addressed to Kris Kringle—and any of his other cheerful aliases—always make it to the right guy thanks to the U.S. Postal Service.

But despite the Christmas magic that ensures dear ole Saint Nick always gets his mail, there is a preferred address the USPS is sharing with families.

"Sharing Santa’s official mailing address will allow letters to reach the North Pole faster than in years past because, with an actual street number and ZIP code, our machines can sort them—unlike being sorted by hand, which is how letters simply labeled 'Santa, North Pole,' are handled," Kim Frum, a spokeswoman for the Postal Service said in 2019, per USA Today.

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So, where should your child address their letter to the big guy in red? According to the Post Office, Santa's official address is:

Santa
123 Elf Road
North Pole, 88888

Letters addressed to Santa's real address—the one above—will be more efficiently sorted and get to the right elves more quickly, so to speak. Then, Operation Santa can do its thing.

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What is Operation Santa?

Operation Santa is an adopt-a-family style program that assigns participating organizations and individuals with letters written by children to Santa. It began in 1912 when Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock authorized local postmasters to allow their Post Office employees to respond to letters to Santa.

The U.S. Postal Service celebrated its 110th year of its Operation Santa program last year, so needless to say, it's a popular program that helps dozens of families each holiday season.

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According to the official website, "Every year, hundreds of thousands of letters sent to Santa from children and families arrive at Post Offices around the country. Most letters ask for toys and games. Some ask for basic necessities. Some ask for help for themselves and their loved ones."

With letters like that, there's no way Santa wouldn't respond!

So, here's how Operation Santa works: As per the program, letters to Santa—addressed to the aforementioned 123 Elf Road address in the North Pole—that request clothes, shoes, toys, games, books and other basic necessities will be fulfilled with the help of the U.S. Postal Service. It's the Post Office's amazing way of lifting kids' Christmas spirits and giving back during the holidays.

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How to request basic necessities from Santa

Christmas lists sent to Santa Claus from children and families in need will be forwarded to Operation Santa. Then, Operation Santa will assign letters to participating individuals and organizations that will fulfill the requests. Individuals and organizations can take on a letter, adopt-a-family style, and then fulfill the wishlist. Operation Santa also makes sure that kids get a response letter from Santa too. Letter adoption opened this year online on Nov. 20.

To participate in the USPS Operation Santa Program as a possible recipient, you have to write a letter, put it in a stamped envelope with a return address, and send it to Santa's official workshop address at 123 Elf Road North Pole, 88888. Make sure it's postmarked by Dec. 11.

For letters that make apparel and shoe requests, be sure to tell Santa your size and preferred color; for letters that request games, books and toys, encourage your kids to be as specific as possible with which game, book or toy they would like. That way, the individuals and organizations that may adopt the letter know exactly what to get!

If you are interested in adopting a letter, you can start perusing letters to adopt online now. This year, like last year, Operation Santa is all online—so, no matter where you live, the digital adoption option is available to you. Adoptions started Nov. 20 and run through December 18, so be sure to check back then if you want to adopt a letter through Operation Santa.

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How to write a letter to Santa

Aside from helping families in need during the holiday season, Operation Santa has a second goal: Encouraging kids to learn how to use the postal system and ultimately, become better letter-writers.

"The other benefit for kids is that it can also generate excitement about writing letters and sending mail," Frum said, according to USA Today. "They can take the Santa letter writing skills and apply it to writing letters to Grandma and Grandpa or other family members."

To write a great letter to Santa Claus—one that warrants a response from the jolly man in red—make sure to use the above 123 Elf Road address, write clearly and neatly on the envelope, and adhere a stamp. In the Christmas list itself, kids should be as specific as possible about the items they would like (including sizes, colors, and toy names and brands).

According to the Postal Service letters for Operation Santa should be postmarked by December 11. However, their website states that the sooner the letter is received, the more likely the wishlist is to be fulfilled (and sooner, too!).

The Postal Service is also offering downloadable letter writing kits with templates to make writing Santa a letter easier. Make sure you scroll down to "Resources and Tips" and click the box that says "Instructions + All Templates," or find another template from their list.

Next up, these are magical reindeer food recipes!