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\u201cThe enhancements that we\u2019ve made over the years have really tied into the protection and safety of children\u2019s [personal identifiable information],\u201d said Chris Karpenko, executive director of brand marketing at USPS. \u201cOne of the things that we did is, instead of just opening up the letters and putting them out to the public, we actually redact them. We digitized some of this, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The initiative first began on a much smaller scale in 1912,<\/a> when then-Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock authorized employees to open letters addressed to Santa and respond to them. Then, in the 1940s, the program expanded to include volunteer \u201celves\u201d from the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was completely grassroots when it started,\u201d Karpenko said. \u201cIt was organic. No one ever formalized it, in the sense that it just started to happen. The Postal Service enables it, but there\u2019re so many Americans out there that want to do good and want to want to help each other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For service members and civilians overseas, American Forces Network<\/a> rocks around the clock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Based out of California, the military\u2019s 24\/7 global radio and television service<\/a> broadcasts 75 holiday movies and 24 stations of festive songs this time of year to Americans stationed abroad or at sea to make them feel at home, said Jim Alexander, director of AFN\u2019s Broadcast Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n AFN began in 1942<\/a> when the then-War Department established the program to give service members \u201ca touch of home\u201d and provide programming, shortwave service and broadcast equipment to U.S. military locations overseas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the years that followed, despite some downsizing to radio, the program grew to include live news and sports satellite broadcasts in the 1960s and color television in the 70s. Today, it includes on-demand streaming services that make entertainment portable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s a testament to wanting to feel connected, especially to the country that you serve and that cultural connection that you have when you\u2019re thousands of miles away,\u201d said Kim Antos, AFN\u2019s chief of digital programming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The military services also organize themed events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, the Marine Corps\u2019 Quantico branch is slated to distribute more than 145,000 toys to 125,000 children via the Toys for Tots program.<\/a> And the Air Force and partner nations came together for Operation Christmas Drop, <\/a>which brings essential supplies to remote communities in the Pacific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019ve been on the Consumer Product Safety Commission\u2019s social media lately, you\u2019ve probably seen footage of the \u201cforbidden\u201d Yule log:<\/a> a burning e-scooter set to holiday instrumentals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You might also have seen memes about exploding turkeys, age-inappropriate gifts and fires caused by Christmas lights and candles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The regulatory agency works to inform U.S. consumers of product safety hazards, and is especially busy this time of year informing the public about product recalls and common dangers that can arise from using certain goods improperly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cObviously the holidays are a very busy time of year \u2014 everyone\u2019s being inundated with messages,\u201d said Joe Galbo, social media specialist at CPSC. \u201cHow do [you] remind folks to keep safety top of mind? <\/a>Of course, you want to do it in a way that\u2019s very visual.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n CPSC also conducts its own product tests at its \u201cfire lab\u201d in Maryland. Galbo said that in some years, staff dress up a Christmas tree and create a realistic set to demonstrate how dry pine boughs can be a potential fire hazard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe tree is obviously a really, really spectacular way of showing folks, \u2018Hey, here\u2019s what can happen when everything goes wrong,\u2019\u201d Galbo said. \u201cFor us, it\u2019s about letting people know, whether it\u2019s cooking or it\u2019s home decorating, keep this in mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Congress may not have been able to get its budget in order in time for Christmas, but that won\u2019t stop Santa Claus from being \u201con time\u201d and \u201cin place\u201d this year, said Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder at a press conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like many good traditions, this one began unexpectedly. The story says that in 1955, a child dialed a number listed in the local newspaper that she believed would connect her to Santa\u2019s workshop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The number actually belonged to the Continental Air Defense Command\u2019s operations center in Colorado.<\/a> A colonel on duty picked up the phone, and in the spirit of the holidays, assured the child that Santa was on his way safely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-56321294.jpg.jpg\")
Department of Defense<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
American Forces Network<\/i><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Consumer Product Safety Commission<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Igniting Christmas trees<\/i><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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North American Aerospace Defense Command<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Santa Tracker<\/i><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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