Tolu Okegbenro: Oh my gosh ! Why are you playing this song right now!? We haven’t even reached Halloween!
Makenzi Johnson: What do you mean? It’s only 82 days until Christmas and the USPS mailroom has started accepting letters to Santa for their annual Operation Santa program.
Okegbenro: What’s the Operation Santa program?
Johnson: OK, I know a lot about this because I do it every year with my family.
Okegbenro: You do?! Tell me more about it.
Johnson: OK, so naturally Santa needed some help.
Okegbenro: Of course he does. He’s really busy keeping track of who is naughty or nice.
Johnson: Exactly. So Santa partnered with the U.S. Postal Service. As of three weeks ago, children can write letters addressed to Santa at 123 Elf Rd. in the North Pole.
Okegbenro: No way that’s actually Santa’s address.
Johnson: Yes way! It’s actually 123 Elf Rd. and he even has his own zip code: 88888.
Okegbenro: Girl that’s a lot of eights. Is it because eights look like snowmen?
Johnson: I never realized that. Anyways, after they send the letters, people who volunteer to be Santa’s elves can adopt letters and buy a special gift. These gifts are then shipped from any participating Post Office from Santa himself.
Okegbenro: Wow, that is a really great way to give back during the holiday season. When can I become one of Santa’s elves and purchase a gift for kids on the nice list?
Johnson: You can register to adopt a letter on November 6 and letter adoption starts on November 20.
Okegbenro: This makes me super excited to give back this holiday season.
Johnson: Me too. You can even come shopping with me and my family.
Okegbenro: Oh my gosh yes I would love that! I guess it’s never too early to be in the holiday spirit after all.
Okegbenro: For Annenberg Media, I’m Tolu Okegbenro.
Johnson: And I’m Makenzi Johnson.