Independent publisher · Sources: USPS and 211

Marcus circled December 1 on the calendar to sort out gifts for his two boys. 📅

By then, the toy list at the community center had been closed for weeks.

🗓️ Sep–Dec

Windows vary

✉️ Dec 5

Santa letters

🧸 Toys

Local lists

📞 211

Local help

👉 SEE THE KEY DATES

A simple calendar of holiday help, program by program

📌 What you’ll find here

📅 Key dates
👥 Who runs it
⚙️ How it works
📍 Where to ask

📅 Why the calendar matters most

Holiday help isn’t one program with one deadline. Each charity, church and local campaign sets its own dates, and they rarely line up.

Gifts are collected and matched to children ahead of time. That’s why many family lists close weeks before December, while a few stay open almost until Christmas. Knowing yours early helps.

🧾 Who runs holiday help

Most of it is organized by charities and volunteers. The Salvation Army runs Angel Tree in many cities. Toys for Tots, a U.S. Marine Corps Reserve program, works through local campaigns.

USPS Operation Santa answers letters to Santa with help from the public. Churches, schools and food banks add their own drives on top of that.

🗓️ Two cities, two calendars

Look at Angel Tree. In Central Virginia, the 2026 online sign-up ran only from September 21 to 23, opening at 9 a.m. and closing once spots were filled.

In Olmsted County, Minnesota, the 2025 sign-up ran from November 3 to December 15. Same program name, completely different timing in each place. Keep reading 👇

👉 SEE THE CALENDAREvery 2026 date we could confirm, in one place

⚙️ How it usually works

For toy programs, a family signs up with the local group, the group checks the details, and donors choose a child to shop for.

Operation Santa works the other way around: the child mails a letter, the letter goes online without a last name or address, and people pick letters to answer. Letter adoption opens November 16, 2026.

👀 Who it’s for

Rules change by program. Angel Tree in Central Virginia serves children 13 or younger on December 25, 2026, from families facing financial hardship, and parents or legal guardians verify income in person.

For Toys for Tots, families fill out the toy application for the campaign nearest to them. Each campaign sets its own timing.

📍 Where to check this week

Dial 211 or use the Find your local 211 tool at 211.org. It connects people with local help for bills, food, housing and utilities, and every call is confidential. It works by phone or online.

Many people never ask the simplest question: which lists near me are still open right now? That one call can save a wasted trip. 👀

✅ Good to know: Operation Santa letters must be postmarked by December 5, 2026, with a stamp, addressed to 123 Elf Road, North Pole, 88888.

The next page puts all the dates side by side, explains what each program asks for and lists the mistakes that cost families a spot.

It takes a few minutes and helps you plan before the windows close.

👉 OPEN THE GUIDEDates, steps and what to have ready

Can I sign up through Buzy? No. This is an independent guide. Each program takes sign-ups on its own, in your area.

Buzy is an independent publisher. We have no link to any government agency or charity, including USPS, Toys for Tots, The Salvation Army or 211, we don’t take sign-ups for any program and we never ask for personal information.