Another holiday season has rolled around and the time to write letters to Santa Claus has arrived. When I was growing up, I remember having to write a letter to Santa to place under my pillow 11 days before Christmas, or maybe it was 21 days. After all, Santa needs time to make wishes come true. However, with the advance of technology, children of the present day can have their pick of snail mail or email, traditional response times or instant gratification. Either way, in my eyes, there is a bigger picture and important message to this simple tradition. A letter to Santa is a representation of words, from a child, filled with hope and faith, sealed in an envelope by love. To each his own, I say. As for me, I will continue keeping the magic alive for my girls as long as they believe. I will still teach them the meaning of Christmas through acts of kindness and remind them of the every day Santa Claus' who walk our streets of life giving generously.
Snail Mail
Sending a physical letter to Santa can be one of the most exciting things kids will do this Christmas season. Do you know what is even more exciting? Receiving a reply from the Big Man himself. Some of the following places send replies!
Macy's "Write a Letter to Santa Claus"
Deliver your child's letter to Santa at a Macy's closest to you (or submit one online).
For every letter that Macy's receives, they will donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish foundation up to $1,000,000. Also find holiday guides, stationary and a fun story on the website.
United States Postal Service (USPS)
Follow the instructions here and use the tips given!
Letters must be received by the Anchorage, AK, Postmaster no later than December 15. Santa's helpers will take care of the rest. The cost is a first class mail stamp.
Additionally, some post offices have staff to respond to letters received locally at their locations; double-check before sending letters to your local post office location. Then simply address the letter to Santa and be sure to include your return address before mailing to your local branch.
Santa Claus Museum Village
Follow the instructions here!
Every letter to Santa received by December 21st will receive a letter back from Santa Claus himself! The earlier you can send in your letter, the better. To help pay for postage, donations are greatly appreciated.
Email
If your children are like me and love interacting with Santa instantly, try some of the following websites.
Letters to Santa
Kids just have to fill out their first names, how good they've been and what they would like for Christmas. Submitting this information returns an instant reply from Santa along with clipart. Your child can also check to see whether he or she is on Santa's list!
Write a letter to Santa and receive an audio recording from him!
You can submit your child's first name, your email address and a letter from your child to Santa to receive an audio reply from Kris Kringle in your inbox!
Emailsanta.com
Children can watch Santa read their letter on camera! They have to just fill in the missing words in the letter to Santa and submit. No personal information is required except for a first name!
Santa Claus House
The Santa Claus House offers packages for the original Santa Claus letter and the North Pole deed from a genuine North Pole postmark. The deadline for orders is December 10th, 2015.
Templates for letters TO Santa
Children are the most creative, however, if some inspiration is needed, the following sites provide some templates for letters to Santa. I will be using a template I created for my daughters this year.
Letters to Santa
Letters to Santa Templates
Templates for letters FROM Santa
Revel in your children's joy and excitement when they receive a letter from Santa. Use these easy and fun templates to create the replies.
Letters from Santa
Letter From Santa
Free Letters From Santa Claus
Tracking Santa
Kids love to track where Santa is at any given time. Norad Tracks Santa is a fun website for kids to follow Santa's movements.
Visit Santa
No Christmas is complete without a visit with Santa Claus. Browse our calendar to find tons of events where you can bring the kids to sit on St Nicks's lap. Also refer to our list of breakfasts with Santa and local Christmas parades where you are sure to run into the jolly old elf.
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