With Christmas just weeks away, the United States Post Office is kicking off its annual Operation Santa letter adoption, but for the first time, the 108-year-old program is going online coast to coast.
The program was created in 1912 as a way for Americans to give back to the less fortunate. Strangers can "adopt" a letter that a child has written to Santa listing what they would like to receive under the Christmas tree this year for making it onto the jolly ol' fellow's Good List.
Adults and families can also write in requests to be fulfilled by anonymous St. Nicks.
"There's a lot of people that need help every year and that's what this program is all about: is to try to help people who may not necessarily be able to provide holiday gifts for their families," Kim Frum, senior public relations representative at USPS, told Cheddar.
This year, the program's virtual presence has been expanded but not because of the ongoing pandemic. Three years ago New York City acted as a pilot city to test the program's ability to flourish online. After a successful run, the agency expanded the test program to seven U.S. cities. Now it's' going nationwide.
"People write letters from all over the country and they send the letters to 123 Elf Road, North Pole, 88888. It's a legitimate address. I promise you, and it does get delivered," Frum said.
For parents with reservations about random people having your kid's information, USPS has you covered. Once postal workers open the letters, they redact "any personally identifiable information."
"The safety of these letter writers is of the utmost importance," Frum noted.
Understanding What Generational Trauma Is and How to Break It
To celebrate the start of spring, Matt Crafton, lead winemaker at Chateau Montelena in northern California, joins Cheddar News to showcase some warm-weather wines and the best meals to pair them with.
Entertainment and lifestyle expert Josh McBride joins Cheddar News' hosts Hena Doba and Baker Machado to talk about some highlights from last night's annual Meta Gala dinner.
Jared Leto showed up at the Met Gala as Choupette, Karl Lagerfeld's cat. And Kim Kardashian dressed in strands of pearls. Fashion's biggest night of the year included lots of vintage from Chanel and a reveal by Janelle Monae.
Oklahoma on Monday became the latest state to ban gender-affirming medical care for minors as Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill that makes it a felony for health care workers to provide children with treatments that can include puberty-blocking drugs and hormones.
Television and movie writers declared that they will launch a strike for the first time in 15 years, as Hollywood girded for a walkout with potentially widespread ramifications in a fight over fair pay in the streaming era.
The top entertainment headlines for May 1, 2023.
Fashion designer Nicole Miller joins Cheddar News correspondent Hena Doba for a Walk & Talk that touches on the importance of not living in a bubble, how to compete with new designers on social media, and why she regrets sometimes neglecting the life side of a healthy work-life balance.
It's the first Monday in May: Welcome to Met Gala mania. With a livestream available when the evening gets underway, the world's most fashionable fundraiser takes on one of the world's most prolific — and controversial — designers, the late Karl Lagerfeld, as the starry party's theme.
While doctors fear the dangers of untrained people managing their own hormone replacement therapy, a growing number of transgender people say they see no other option for life-saving care.
