Central Missouri's Postal Consumer Council will hold its third annual "Send a Card" event from 10 a.m.-noon Saturday at Capital Mall.
It will be in the mall's Center Court, behind Santa Claus.
After the children see Santa, they can visit the PCC table and write Santa a letter or send a card to a soldier.
The PCC will provide stationery and postage as well as cookies and milk.
The council involves Postal Service officials - Jefferson City Postmaster Krystal Drone is the co-chair - and customers from Jefferson City, Columbia and other Mid-Missouri communities.
Large business mailers, government agencies, business mail service providers and small businesses all have interests represented on the council.
The PCC is intended as an open channel for USPS-to-business communication, providing information, education and training as well as best practices for cost-effective and profitable mailing, and for solving local mailing challenges.
'North Pole' postmarks
In addition to Saturday's event, the Postal Service reminds customers Sunday is the deadline for the least-expensive way to get letters postmarked "North Pole."
"The Letters from Santa program adds to the excitement of Christmas and is ideal for interesting youngsters in letter writing, stamps and penmanship," Drone explained in a news release.
Here are some tips for getting a North Pole postmark:
Have the child write a letter to Santa, then place it in an envelope addressed to "Santa Claus, North Pole."
Write a separate, personalized response to the child's letter, then sign that second letter "From Santa."
Insert both letters into one envelope, and address that envelope to the child - including name, address, city, state and ZIP code.
Add the return address, "SANTA, NORTH POLE," to the envelope with a First-Class Mail stamp.
Place the completed envelope into a larger envelope, with appropriate postage, and address it to "NORTH POLE POSTMARK POSTMASTER, 4141 POSTMARK DR, ANCHORAGE AK 99530-9998."
Letters from Santa must be received by the Anchorage, Alaska, postmaster no later than Dec. 15.
The Postal Service said customers also can get a "North Pole" postmark on their own holiday cards. For those who wish to use that service, the cards should be signed and addressed in the usual way, including placing a stamp on the envelope. Then the customer should put all envelopes into a larger or envelope or into a Priority Mail box.
Attach the appropriate postage on the large envelope or box, and address it to the "NORTH POLE POSTMARK POSTMASTER" at the Anchorage address.
Items mailed after Sunday should be sent by Priority Mail Express to ensure the cards are postmarked and mailed in time for holiday delivery, the Postal Service said.
Mailing/shipping deadlines
Package shipping deadlines are coming quickly for those who want delivery by Dec. 24.
The deadline for shipping by USPS "Retail Ground" is Dec. 14. The First Class mail deadline is Dec. 19. For Priority Mail, the deadline is Dec. 20. And for Priority Mail Express, the deadline is Dec. 22.
Drone reminded people shipping packages to use a sturdy box to protect the contents, and if shippers are reusing a box, they should remove all previous labels and use a heavy black marker to cover old markings.
Shippers can also use the Postal Service's free Priority Mail boxes, which come in a variety of sizes.
Glass items should be wrapped well (including stuffed if they have hollow insides), and glass for framed photographs should be removed from the frame and wrapped separately.
Batteries should be removed from toys and wrapped separately. New batteries should be kept in their original packaging.
Before sealing the package, place a card inside it with the "from" and "to" addresses so the items can be delivered if the outside labels are damaged.
When the packages are ready for shipping, Drone said, customers can get them weighed and stamped at the Post Office or they can pay the postage and print it at home, using the "Click N Ship" service at usps.com - then take the package to the post office or leave it for the mail carrier to pick it up.