Independent publisher · Sources: USPS and 211

You’ve seen why a closed list isn’t always the end of the road. Here’s the plan B, option by option, with what each program publishes about its rules and dates.

👉 START WITH OPTION 1Letters to Santa come first

✉️ Option 1: a letter to Santa

USPS Operation Santa takes letters addressed to 123 Elf Road, North Pole, 88888, with a stamp. Include the child’s first and last name and a clear return address, with apartment number, on the envelope and on the letter.

Letters must be postmarked by December 5, 2026. Adoption begins November 16, and the last day to adopt and ship is December 12.

🧸 Option 2: a local toy campaign

Toys for Tots runs through local campaigns. Families complete the toy application for the campaign nearest to them, and each campaign decides its own dates.

If one campaign has closed, ask whether a neighboring one, a church or a school drive is still taking names. Churches and schools often hear about late drives first, because many of them collect the toys themselves.

🏘️ Option 3: another Angel Tree window

Angel Tree dates are set locally. Some close early, like Central Virginia, where 2026 applications ran September 21 to 23 and appointments followed October 5 to 8.

Others run late, like Olmsted County, Minnesota, which kept its 2025 registration open from November 3 to December 15.

👉 CALL OR SEARCH 211Find your local 211 and ask what's still open

👀 Who can sign up

There’s no single national rule. In Central Virginia, Angel Tree serves children 13 or younger on December 25, 2026, and a parent or legal guardian confirms low income in person.

Other programs may use different ages, areas or rules, so confirm before you go.

🧾 What to have ready

For the Central Virginia Angel Tree, applying required an email address, with one application per email address, followed by an in-person appointment.

For Operation Santa, have the stamp, the child’s full name and your complete return address ready before you seal the envelope.

📲 After you sign up

Keep any email, confirmation or appointment time the program gives you. In Central Virginia, Angel Tree families received their appointment details by email after applying.

If you don’t hear back, call the same office where you signed up, or ask 211 again whether another drive nearby has opened since your first call.

⚠️ Mistakes to avoid

Giving up after the first closed list, when other drives nearby may still be open.

Treating Operation Santa as certain. USPS says a letter may not be posted, adopted or answered.

Paying someone who promises a spot. Sign up only with the program itself.

🧠 Worth knowing

Adopted Operation Santa gifts can arrive any time from November through mid-January 2027, so a package after Christmas doesn’t mean anything went wrong.

Operation Santa also blacks out last names, addresses and school or community names before letters go online. The people who adopt letters must register and verify their identity first, a step that opened on November 2.

✅ Good to know: Operation Santa letters must be postmarked by December 5, 2026. Mail early and write the return address on the letter too.
👉 GO TO OPERATION SANTARules and dates on the USPS Operation Santa site

Is Matutei part of any of these programs? No. We’re an independent site that explains how they usually work. Sign-ups are always made with the program itself.

Matutei is an independent publisher and is not affiliated with any government agency or charity, including USPS, Toys for Tots, The Salvation Army or 211. We don’t organize holiday programs, don’t register families and never request personal information.