I’ve got everything you need to send a letter to Santa this year – including free letter to Santa templates and the right address for the man himself!
Writing a letter to Santa is a simple activity you can do with little ones of any age and ability in the run up to Christmas.
It’s fun and exciting for them to think about what they would like for Christmas. Also posting a letter to the North Pole feels pretty cool for them.
For toddlers and children not quite able to write just yet, you can write for them but keep them involved in the process of writing the letter. Talk about what they want in the letter, what things they want Santa to bring them and what they could tell Santa about what they’ve achieved this year.
If they are desperate to make their own mark on the letter, let them sign it and maybe draw a picture to go with it.
To help you out I have two letter templates for you to download and use with your child. One is much simpler with prompts for what your child needs to write including their name, age and what they want for Christmas.
The other is a blank letter to Father Christmas so that your child can write whatever they want. This is perfect for children who are much more confident writers.
All three of the free letters to Santa templates can be downloaded right here in PDF format for you to print off at home.
This post also includes the real address for Santa which you can send your letter to in order to receive a response!
I think sending a letter to Father Christmas is a wonderful family Christmas tradition you can repeat with your kids every year.
Free Dear Santa template
I have created two beautiful and free downloadable letter to Santa templates for you to use with your child.
All you need to do is click the download link and they will be saved to your computer. You can then print the letters out and get your child to fill in the letter.
The below letter is a nice one for young children as they can fill in the gaps and it provides them with prompts for what they should include in the letter.
Toddler letter to Santa templates
Check out these two fun letter to Santa templates for toddlers. Click the links below to download and print at home.
Letter to Santa template for kids
This Christmas letter template below is for children who are more confident at sitting down and writing the letter without any prompts. But younger children can use it too if you don’t want a specific format to the letter.
Once you have finished writing the letter, it’s up to you what you do with it!
Some people like to use the free letters to Santa address that many national postal services offer. This way you can tell your child that you are sending a letter to the North Pole, or as the UK Royal Mail service calls it “Reindeerland”.
I think this is a nice touch to actually post the letter as it adds to the excitement of the build-up to Christmas if you can then take a trip to the postbox to drop the finished letter inside.
What to write in a letter to Santa
A letter to Santa can include absolutely anything your child wants. Maybe they want to tell Santa all about their adventures this year, such as their summer holiday or things they have done at school.
Many children will be focused on what they would like for Christmas. However you could also add details about what your child has done that is good this year.
Challenge your child to explain to Santa why they belong on the “nice” list and not the “naughty” list.
The letter to Santa could also include some detail about your child, such as their favourite things and where they went on holiday this year.
They could also ask Santa a few questions if they want to, or send him a message of good luck for delivering presents around the world on Christmas Eve.
Simple prompts to help your child write their letter to Santa
If your child is stuck for what to write in their letter to Santa then try this list of questions and prompts to help them.
- Tell Santa about themselves – how old are they, what do they like doing?
- What have they been up to this year.
- What things have they done that are good?
- What do they want for Christmas?
- Ask questions of Santa and his family. These could include what’s it like being Santa, what do the reindeer eat, what is Santa’s favourite food and how many elves work for him.
Where to send letters to Santa UK
Wonder what Santa’s REAL address is?
Your child can get an exciting response from Santa in the post by using the Royal Mail service!
The Royal Mail says: “It’s nearly Christmas, and we know you want to make sure that your letter to Santa Claus gets to him. We’ve just received the message below from Father Christmas himself – he’s as excited about Christmas as we are!”
You must get your letter in by the first week of December to receive a reply, so be sure to get your letters in on time.
Don’t forget to include your child’s full name and address to get a reply.
The address to send your letters (with a stamp on the envelope) to is:
Santa/Father Christmas
Santa’s Grotto
Reindeerland
XM4 5HQ
To get a letter in Welsh send the letter to:
Sion Corn
Ogof Sion Corn
Gwlad Y Ceirw
XM4 5HQ
Royal Mail has a copy of the Santa card it will send to kids available online, just in case you miss the deadline and want to print it off, pop it in an envelope and leave it on the doormat for your child to find.
Donate to charity & get a letter from Santa
There is another option for getting a letter from Santa for your child in the UK.
The NSPCC will send a letter to your child from Father Christmas in exchange for a £5 donation. This is a wonderful way to support a charity at this time of year.
What’s great about this service is you can customise the design of the letter from eight different versions and also add personal details about your child to the letter.
This is such a lovely way to get your child’s letter from Santa so do check it out on the NSPCC website.
Santa’s mailing address in the US and Canada
To send a letter to Father Christmas in the US and Canada you also have special addresses you can use courtesy of the postal service.
For Canada use this simple address (you do not need to use a stamp):
Santa Claus
North Pole HOH OHO
Canda
The US Postal Service will also send your child a letter from Santa, but you will need to write the letter! If you send your letter in this way you will receive your original letter back with a North Pole postmark.
To get a letter back with a North Pole postmark have your child write their letter to Santa and place it in an envelope addressed to:
Santa Claus, North Pole.
Now you need to write a response as if you are Santa, signing it from Santa. Pop this letter and the (unsealed) envelope with your child’s letter into another envelope and address it to the child (including your full postal address). Now place this envelope into a larger envelope, and send it to the following address with a first class mail stamp attached to it.
NORTH POLE POSTMARK
POSTMASTER
4141 POSTMARK DR
ANCHORAGE AK 99530-9998
The deadline for the US letters is December 14, but the service recommends you get the letters in the post by December 7.
How to send a letter to Santa
So as a reminder, to get a letter to Santa you will need to:
- Download my free letter to Santa template or get your child to write their letter on a blank piece of paper.
- Check your country’s guidance for sending a letter to Santa by the national postal service. Be sure to use the correct address as per the postal service’s guidance.
- Check the deadline for the postal service’s Santa letters.
- Remember to add a stamp!
- Drop your letter into the post box and you’re done!
If you are doing this activity with your child at home, you could try using this fun flowchart explaining what they need to do to write their letter to Santa!
How to send a letter to your child as Santa
So your child has worked hard to send their letter.
If you are sending it using the Royal Mail service then you will get a letter back. But what if you want to take a more personal approach? And in the US you will need to write your own letter too.
When writing a letter from Santa to your child, try these tips:
- Be personal. Respond to what your child has put in their own letter, highlighting something they did particularly well and praising them. Tell them you (Santa) told your elves and they were so impressed.
- Add some cool detail. Write about what Santa is doing while writing the letter back. You could say you (Santa) are putting your feet up in front of the hour having just finished feeding the reindeer, or that you just checked on what the elves are up to in their workshop.
- Praise them. Tell them how great they have been this year and that they can expect exciting surprises on Christmas Day!
If you are still stuck I have a free done-for-you letter that you can simply print off and either hide in the house (maybe by the tree) or post to your child.
If you’re looking for other fun things to do with your kids this Christmas, check out my free festive colouring and activity sheets.
Happy writing and Merry Christmas!
