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As the Pasadena Jaycees’ longest running project, Operation Santa has touched the lives of thousands of children since 1934. And it all starts with a letter.
Children in Pasadena send letters to Santa, toys are purchased and donated, and hundreds of volunteers, dressed for the occasion as Santa, Mrs. Claus, and elves deliver thousands of toys to children’s homes on Christmas Eve.
While Operation Santa was originally rooted in the Christmas holiday, children from all backgrounds and religions are encouraged to write letters to celebrate the season.
Toys are geared toward children in 8th grade and under. Letter submission are now open! If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out the interest form, and stay tuned for more detailed information soon!
*Need this in another language? Use the dropdown at the top right of the page.
Send your letter and get a gift delivered by Santa and his elves on December 24.
Write a letter yourself or on behalf of a child in need in the Pasadena area. Make sure you will be home on the evening of December 24, so that Santa, Mrs. Claus and his elves can deliver your toys. Children from all backgrounds and religions are encouraged to write letters to celebrate the season.
PLEASE NOTE: We will make every effort to have Santa and his elves deliver toys on December 24, but we cannot guarantee it. There is a small chance we will miss you due to circumstances beyond our control. Pay close attention to entering your address, gate code or other access details and phone number, and it will help us reach out to you if we’re having trouble with delivery.
Get involved by joining a Santa delivery team, helping sort toys, and more!
Sign up here if you are interested in getting involved with the project! We will be in touch with more details soon. Check out our FAQ to answer any questions you might have right now.
Or email [email protected] with any questions.
Help us reach our goal of delivering a toy and a STEAM gift to over 1000 children in the Pasadena area.
There are a number of ways to donate to Operation Santa:
*Please note that we do not accept toy guns or other toy weapons.
Want to help us get out the word about Operation Santa?
Please share our Operation Santa informational flyer wherever you can!
Letter submissions usually go live mid-November. For 2024, letter submissions open 11/15.
December 21st.
Santa’s gone digital! Submit your letter form here. Be sure to have handy the number of kids at your address, their ages and toy category preferences. There is an option to upload a picture of the physical letter.
Pasadena, California.
Including the following zip codes: 91001, 91030, 91108, 91006, 91104, 91105, 91101, 91011, 91007, 91106, 91103, 91107, 91024, 91025, 91011, 91012, 91020, 91021, 91006, 91007, 91066, 91077, 91732, 91775, 91776, 91778
Typically Santa will bring 1-3 toys per each kid. We try to deliver toys based on submitted preferences, but specific toys are dependent on that year’s donations. We also do our best to give each kid a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) focused toy.
Please check spam and junk folders. Email your first and last name and home address to [email protected] and we can confirm if we’ve received your submission.
Send your confirmation number and the additional children’s ages and toy preferences to [email protected].
Send your first and last name, confirmation number and updated address to [email protected].
Our Santa teams typically arrive at the submitted addresses on Christmas Eve 4:30-8:30pm. We can communicate the request to the Santa team assigned your route on the Day of Event but can’t guarantee the exact arrival time due to the volume of houses Santa has to visit.
Unfortunately the delivery window on Christmas Eve is the only time Santa’s available to make deliveries. If you’ve already submitted a letter form but will no longer be home, please email [email protected] to let us know your plans have changed. Submit a form next year and we’ll see you then!
No. If Santa is unable to get ahold of someone at your address during their delivery route, unfortunately they will have to move on to the next house. Please be sure to be home during the delivery window and submit a good contact phone number with your letter submission.
No, unfortunately the event is set up to have toys delivered during the delivery window.
Typically ~5 minutes or so. Please be mindful that Santa’s got a lot of stops to make!
Please email [email protected] and we will coordinate a time with you.
Please email [email protected] and we will coordinate with you. A committee member will be assigned to drop off and collect the barrel, and can stop by to collect as needed if it fills up.
You can sign up to volunteer at the form linked here.
Santa, Mrs. Claus and elves suits are provided. If you own one, feel free to wear it!
Team sizes are dependent on how many volunteers sign up. Each team will at least have a Santa and one helper/driver. Encourage your friends to sign up and go out to deliver together! If you’re a solo volunteer, we’ll match you with a good Santa team.
We’ll do our best to accommodate any requests, but routes are subject to change and dependent on each year’s submissions.
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