Free Santa Letters for Kids

From LoveToKnow Christmas

Programs offering free Santa letters for kids help bring the magic of Christmas to boys and girls around the country.

Child at Christmas

The Tradition of Writing Christmas Letters

In many families, having children write letters to Santa is a treasured holiday tradition. Kids who are too young to read and write can dictate a letter to a parent or older sibling. Or, as an alternative, kids who like to draw can make a picture outlining their message for Santa.

Writing a letter to Santa is a chance for children to dream big, since Santa is known to make miracles happen. Kids often ask for computers, video game systems, and other expensive Christmas gifts, but many parents have been known to be surprised by the thoughtfulness of their son or daughter's request. A child may ask for a toy to share with a sibling, a trip for the family to enjoy together, medicine for a sick relative, or help for a classmate who is struggling at school.

To add a bit of magic to the holiday season, many parents want to make sure Santa doesn't forget to respond to their child's carefully written letter. This is where programs offering free Santa letters for kids can be very helpful.

Christmas Cheer at the USPS

As you might expect, the United States Postal Service handles a lot of mail during the Christmas season. To deal with the letters from Santa, the USPS has established the following procedure:

  1. Write the response you would like your child to receive from Santa. Congratulate him or her on being good all year, send your best Christmas wishes, and remember to include enough personal details that there really is no doubt the letter is from Santa himself. If you need a little help getting started, Download 32 offers a shareware download of a Santa's letter creation software program that lets you quickly personalize and print a letter from Santa to give to your child.
  2. Place Santa's response in a stamped envelope addressed to the intended boy or girl.
  3. Write the return address as “Santa, North Pole, AK.”
  4. Place this envelope into a larger, properly stamped First-Class Mail or Priority Mail envelope with your correct return address.
  5. Mail your envelope to North Pole Christmas Cancellation; Postmaster; 5400 Mail Trail; Fairbanks, AK 99709-9998. Generally, requests must be received by December 15 and postmarked by December 10 in order to be fulfilled by Christmas day.
  6. When your letter is received, volunteers will add a special North Pole postmark and mail it back to the address listed.

While the procedure listed above is the way the USPS prefers to deal with letters for Santa, kids who attempt to use the Post Office to mail their letters directly to Santa won't necessarily be ignored. Volunteers with Operation Santa Claus, an effort that began in the 1920s, chip in to help answer Santa letters and purchase gifts for needy children. To learn if Operation Santa Claus is available in your area, visit the Operation Letter to Santa Web site or call toll free 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777).

Where to Get Free Santa Letters for Kids

Other ways to get free Santa letters for kids include:

  • Many malls that have displays where kids can get their picture taken with Santa will also accept Santa letters. Kids generally receive some sort of form letter at a later date, telling them that Santa will visit and wishing them a Merry Christmas.
  • Some small town newspapers have programs in which kids can have their letter to Santa detailing their Christmas wishes published in a special section of the paper. In return, they receive a letter from Santa.
  • Community groups that encourage volunteer service often run programs to answer letters from Santa during the Christmas season. However, these efforts may have certain restrictions, such as only accepting letters from children in low-income homes.

Sending Santa an Email

If your child is very computer savvy or simply a bit of a procrastinator, he will be pleased to know that Santa now accepts email in lieu of the traditional handwritten Christmas letter. Visit the Email Santa Web site to learn how to send your own message to the man in the red suit. Or, if you prefer, NorthPole.com will forward your message and send you a reply.

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