30 - Holiday Gift Guide
The Newtown Bee - November 19, 2021
USPS Operation Santa Now Accepting Letters For 2021 Program; Adoption Opens December 4 The US Postal Service (USPS) is accepting letters for the 109-year-old USPS Operation Santa program. The program pairs letters from deserving kids with generous people who fulfill their holiday wishes. Letters must be postmarked by December 10, and will be uploaded — with personal information redacted — to USPSOperationSanta.com through December 15 for potential adoption. Every day can be a challenge for some families simply trying to make ends meet. USPS Operation Santa was established by the Postal Service to help those in need during the holidays. The nondenominational program is intended to help as many deserving families as possible experience a happy holiday season. That happens thanks to letters to post on USPSOperationSanta.com. Holiday expectations put extra pressure on those same families who want to make it a special time, but just can’t. That’s where the USPS Operation Santa program — and generous Postal Service customers — can help make the holidays a joyous and magical time. Since the program began, hundreds of thousands of less-fortunate children and their families have been helped by the kindness of others. Wish Letters Participation in USPS Operation Santa is simple. Children just need to write a letter. It is entirely up to the letter writer as to what appears on their wish list. The more specific writers are with sizes, colors, styles, toys, book titles, favorite authors, etc, the better chance their wishes will be granted if their letter is adopted. Suggestions and even letter templates can be found at USPSOperationSanta. com. Parents/guardians should then help children put their letter into an envelope affixed with a First-Class Mail Forever stamp, and make sure the child’s full return address — apartment number, directional information (ie, E Main St, Apt 103) and Zip Code — is on the envelope.
Children in families that need help during the holiday season are invited to write a letter to Santa — starting from scratch or even using one of three templates created by the US Postal Service — as part of USPS Operation Santa. The special program is in its 109th year this holiday season. —USPS graphics Then send the letter to Santa’s official workshop address: Santa Claus, 123 Elf Road, North Pole 88888. Letters without full return addresses or names will not be posted for adoption. There is no guarantee that letters submitted to the program will be adopted. After someone sends their letter, it is opened by Santa’s elves. For safety reasons, all personally identifiable information of the letter writer is removed (ie, last name, address, Zip Code) and uploaded to USPSOperationSanta.com for adoption. Letters must be postmarked by December 10. They will be uploaded to the website for adoption through December 15. Adopting A Letter Writer Adopter registration, ID verification, and letter adoption this season will be open December 4-19. For security reasons, all potential adopters must be vetted through a short registration and ID verification process before they can adopt any letter. If
you’ve adopted letters in the past, you must still be verified each year. Once approved, potential adopters can visit USPSOperationSanta.com, read through the posted letters, pick one or more they would like to fulfill, and follow the directions on how to grant that special wish for a child. Businesses also get into the spirit of the season by creating teams to adopt letters — all the better to help grant those special wishes to deserving families and kids. Additional information and shareable materials for those who wish to adopt a letter writer can be found at USPSOperationSanta.com/getinvolved/promote. USPS Operation Santa started more than 109 years ago when the Postal Service began receiving letters to Santa from kids across the country. In 1912 Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock authorized local Postmasters to allow postal employees and customers to respond to the letters. That simple act of kindness has led to a
very successful holiday program benefiting deserving kids and families throughout the United States. The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products, and services to fund its operations. For US Postal Service media resources, including broadcast quality video and audio and photo stills, visit the USPS Newsroom. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the USPS YouTube Channel and like us on Facebook. For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and facts. usps.com. More USPS holiday news, including shipping deadlines and package tips, can be found at usps.com/holidaynews. For reporters interested in speaking with a regional Postal Service public relations professional, go to about.usps.com/news/ media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts. pdf.
USPS: Package Restrictions And Safety Protocols Go Hand In Hand During Holidays And Beyond WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ensuring the safety of mail processing and delivery starts with consumers, says the United States Postal Service (USPS). It is important to know how to properly ship all gifts, including what can and cannot be sent through the mail. Plan ahead to help prevent injuries to Postal Service employees, customers, and even gift recipients. Simple preparation will also lessen the chance that packages are returned because they do not follow shipping guidelines. Shipping Restrictions The Postal Service has rules in place to keep certain hazardous, restricted, and perishable items out of the mail, both domestic and international. Among those on the Prohibited Items List are liquor, ammunition, explosives, mercury (including items which contain mercury such as thermometers), and gasoline. Then there are items that can be sent through the mail, but senders must follow certain guidelines to do so. These are known as Restricted Items. The following list is not comprehensive, and customers are advised to check with a retail clerk at their local Post Office, for a complete list of restricted items: alcohol of any kind, including hand sanitizer; perfumes and colognes, which are generally made with alcohol; aerosols; and Lithium metal batteries (nonrechargeable/ rechargeable, used to power flashlights or laptops). Package Size & Weight Requirements There are size and weight restrictions for packages sent through the Postal Service. Unless a sender opts for Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express services, the cost of postage depends on the shape and weight of a package. In some cases, oddly shaped packages, such as tubes, are charged a higher price because those pieces must be processed manually. Packages sent domestically via the Postal Service must weigh no more than 70 pounds and cannot measure more than 108 inches total in length and around the widest part of the package. There are also different standards for international and military shipments, based on the destination country. More information and specific restrictions for APO, FPO and DPO can be found at USPS.com. International
restriction information, including countries USPS is still not accepting from nor delivering to due to Covid-19 service impacts, can also be found at USPS.com/international. All packages must be large enough to hold the required delivery and return addresses, mailing label(s), and postage on the outside of the package. Regardless of the contents, mail and packages weighing more than 10 ounces and/or that are more than a half-inch thick cannot be dropped into a collection box or left for a carrier to pick up if stamps are being used for postage. Those need to go to a USPS Post Office location. Retail clerks at USPS Post Office locations can help with information on properly shipping a package. Reusing Boxes? Not So Fast! While it may be tempting to reuse boxes shipping, and while recycling is always a good idea, in this instance it is not the wisest choice. Reused boxes are not as sturdy as a new box and can weaken, become damaged, or break open in transit. If reusing a box, however, make sure any labels or markings are removed or completely covered over or crossed out, especially if the box has labels or markings associated with hazardous, prohibited, or restricted materials. Never overpack a box. Overpacking can cause the sides or the seams to bulge or break, which could cause injury to postal employees. If everything cannot fit into one box, USPS asks that a larger box or multiple boxes be used. The USPS prefers customers pick up free Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express boxes. These are shipped for one flat rate, with tracking and basic insurance included (with some restrictions). The boxes are available at any post office location or order them online at store.usps. com/store. Boxes are delivered within the US with regular mail, usually within 7 to 10 business days. See the website for exclusions. Keeping USPS Employees Safe The safety of USPS employees and the communities they serve is always a top priority. Following the tips below will not only help keep carriers safe as they deliver holiday gifts, but senders and their families as well:
*Clear any snow or ice on steps, sidewalks, and driveways, and around mailboxes. Also make sure to salt the cleared areas to prevent refreezing. *Yard equipment, toys, and yard trimmings on the lawn, walkways, or steps can also cause a tripping hazard or serious injury. More often than not, mail carriers will have their hands full of packages and could miss seeing obstacles in their path. Make yards and sidewalks clear of hazards to keep everyone safe. For those who have a pet, they do not have to be told how much happiness they bring to lives. Dogs and cats may even have better manners than some family members. But even the best-behaved pet can pose a hazard to people they do not know. More than 5,800 postal employees were attacked by dogs last year. Many attacks can be avoided with a few moments of precaution. *If a carrier delivers mail or packages to the door or a residence or business with a dog, have the dog in a separate room with the door closed opening the front door. Some dogs have burst through screen doors or plateglass windows to get to visitors. Dog owners should keep the family pet secured. *Parents should remind their children and other family members to not take mail directly from carriers in the presence of the family pet, as the dog may view the person handing mail to a family member as a threatening gesture. *If a carrier feels threatened by a dog, or if a dog is loose or unleashed, the owner may be asked to pick up their mail at their local Post Office until the carrier is assured the pet has been restrained. If a dog is roaming the neighborhood, the pet owner’s neighbors also may be asked to pick up their mail at the area’s Post Office location. 2021 Mail-By Dates For delivery in time for Christmas, the USPS suggests the following mail-by dates: December 15 for USPS Retail Ground Service; December 17 for First-Class Mail Service; December 18 for Priority Mail Service; and December 23 for Priority Mail Express Service. Additional holiday news and information, including all shipping deadlines, can be found at usps.com/holidaynews.