The 2018 “Camp Fire” ripped through California right before Christmas, leaving thousands of families homeless in shelters. Many parents feared they wouldn’t be able to give their kids a happy Christmas, while kids worried Santa wouldn’t be able to find them without an address. The US Postal Service got into action, sending letter kits to the shelters and collecting the resulting letters to Santa. These were placed on the digital Operation Santa platform, where people could "adopt" a letter and send a gift to its writer. It let everyday people give directly to those affected — in a uniquely personal way.