Writing letters to Santa is a time-honored tradition. Children all over the world lay down their wishes and desires, and hope to find shiny new presents underneath their Christmas trees. But 2020 turned the world upside down, and the ongoing pandemic has impacted children no less than adults—and this year’s letters to Santa reflect that perfectly.

As USPS launched the digital letter adoption campaign—it was covered by my colleague and you can read more about it here—it became clear that it’s not just joy and laughter that children are greeting Christmas with. Among the ordinary letters asking for a new doll or a bike, there are heartbreaking confessions and pleas for Santa to perform a true Christmas miracle and fix a world that’s seemingly hanging on by its hinges.

More info: USPS Operation Santa

Turns out, the pandemic has also taken its toll on kids who mention it in their letters to Santa

Image credits: USPS Operation Santa

Image credits: USPS Operation Santa

One of the kids that sent a letter to Santa was John, and his message was simply heartbreaking: “We don’t even have a tree. Honestly, we don’t have money for anything, not even for my birthday.” The pandemic caused disturbances to many households.

Some, like John’s family, no longer have the means to provide like they used to, so even Christmas or birthdays become a luxury they can’t afford: “I just wish for money to help them with anything like a bill or rent or just a gift for being the best grandparents and bestest parents to me.” Many of us give little thought to how fortunate we are to be able to complete a simple exchange of gifts, and perhaps this holiday, we might remember that it’s the feeling of giving that actually counts, not the items themselves.

Children don’t focus on personal gifts only, they ask for something for the parents too

Image credits: USPS Operation Santa

Monetary constraints are another issue that plagues the pandemic-ravaged world, as some of the children are asking for help for their parents to cover the bills or other expenses. In some cases, the kids even ask Santa to bring presents to the parents since it’s unlikely they will receive anything by other means.

9-year-old Alani asks Santa for a Lego set because her mother can’t get anything for her this Christmas. The girl said, “She’s not getting paid as much so she can’t afford anything and I would appreciate it if my mom could get something too because she takes care of us and gives me food and works very hard so I just wanted something for her like a gift card.”

Adults use operation Santa letter adoption to ask for help during this difficult time

Image credits: USPS Operation Santa

And if you think it’s only the children feeling the blues on this holiday, you’d be mistaken. The pandemic has hurt adults just as much. Santa’s letter adoption was meant to help both children and families in need, and this year, it seems that community support will be more appreciated than ever.

Hally is a mother of 3, and according to her, “this year has been the roughest I’ve been through in a long while.” She added that her family needs a vehicle to get around—both to transport kids between their activities and to have a car to her doctor’s appointments as she’s a cancer patient. This holiday, Hally is asking for a necessity, not a luxury.

USPS’ Operation Santa is over a century old, and this is the first year the campaign was launched nationwide. Anyone in the US can adopt a letter and make someone’s holiday all the brighter, especially in these trying times. So, people who want to earn some karma points or would just like to do a good deed to secure a spot on Santa’s good list can now visit the USPS’ special site and become Santa’s little helpers. And here are some examples of the letters kids sent to the Santa.

Check out some of the other letters that kids sent out to Santa

Image credits: USPS Operation Santa

Image credits: USPS Operation Santa

Image credits: USPS Operation Santa

Image credits: USPS Operation Santa

Image credits: USPS Operation Santa

Image credits: USPS Operation Santa

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