Dear Santa,

Owen and Madelyn sat down this weekend to write their letters to Santa and it was so fun to see their excitement as they wrote down their Christmas wish lists! I have memories of writing my list and taking it to Santa at the local mall but have you heard of Operation Santa through The US Postal Service?

The Post Office Department started receiving letters to Santa Claus more than 100 years ago! In 1912 the Postmaster General began allowing postal employees and citizens to respond to the letters, this program eventually became known as Operation Santa. In the 1940s, mail volume for Santa increased so much that the Postal Service asked corporations and charitable organizations to participate by providing written responses and small gifts. Today, you can go online to browse through the letters and if one touches you, you can adopt the letter and help the child have a magical holiday.

This year we made Dear Santa letter templates and wanted to share them with you for free! Let us know your family tradition when it comes to Jolly Old Saint Nicholas!

We have three letter options available to save for free, HERE.

What other holiday traditions do you have? We would love to hear them! Post a comment below or tag @playbeyondthelines on Instagram!