How To Get A Free Letter From Santa This Christmas

The Royal Mail Free Letter From Santa Scheme Explained

A free letter from Santa is one of the easiest bits of Christmas magic you can arrange, and the Royal Mail makes it happen every year for nothing more than the price of a stamp.

This guide explains exactly how the scheme works this Christmas, where to send your child's letter, when to post it, and what's happened to the NSPCC's much-loved personalised letters. If you want your little one's face to light up when a reply from the North Pole lands on the doormat, here's everything you need to know.

The Royal Mail Free Letter From Santa Scheme Explained

There's something special about a child receiving actual post with their name on it, and a reply from Santa himself takes that to another level. The Royal Mail has been helping Santa with his correspondence for years, and it's been a tradition in my family for as long as I can remember.

That moment when your child opens their very own letter from Santa's post office never gets old.

The scheme couldn't be simpler. Your child writes their letter or Christmas list, you pop it in an envelope with a stamp, and Santa writes back free of charge.

There's no signing up, no forms, and no catch, which makes it one of the best free Christmas activities going.

You don't need to work out how to get post to the North Pole either, because Santa has an address much closer to home. Send your letter to:

Santa/Father Christmas

Santa's Grotto

Reindeerland

XM4 5HQ

If you'd like Santa to reply in Welsh, address your letter to: Siôn Corn, Ogof Siôn Corn, Gwlad y Ceirw, XM4 5HQ

Two things matter when you post it:

• Make sure the envelope has a stamp

• Write your child's full name and home address clearly on the letter or the back of the envelope, because Santa can't reply if he doesn't know where you live. It sounds obvious, but the elves tell me it's the number one reason a reply never arrives.

There's also a handy backup worth knowing about. Royal Mail publishes a printable version of Santa's reply on its Letters to Santa page, which you can download and print yourself at home.

It's perfect if you want to save the cost of a stamp, and it's a lifesaver if you've left it too late for the post or the reply hasn't arrived in time, because no child needs to be disappointed on Christmas Eve.

When Do You Need To Post Your Santa Letter?

Royal Mail sets a final posting date each year, and letters that arrive after it may not get a reply in time for the big day. Last Christmas the deadline was Wednesday the 10th of December, and the year before was similar, so the cut-off reliably falls in the second week of December.

Royal Mail confirms the exact date each autumn, and I'll update this post the moment it's announced.

My advice is not to cut it fine either way. The postal system is at its busiest in December, and replies typically take a week or more to come back, so posting in late November or the first days of December gives you the best chance of the letter arriving with time to spare.

It also means the reply lands while the excitement is still building, rather than in the last-minute chaos of Christmas week.

What If Your Child Needs An Accessible Reply?

Santa doesn't leave anyone out. Royal Mail can arrange replies in braille or large print if you email santamail@royalmail.com, and it recently added British Sign Language replies as well, which is a lovely touch for deaf children.

The Royal National Institute of Blind People also runs its own free letter from Santa for children with vision impairment, available in braille, audio or large print.

You request it through the RNIB website with your child's name, age, address, and preferred format. While the letter is free, the charity welcomes a donation if you can manage one.

Requests closed at the end of November last year, so it pays to get in early once this year's scheme opens.

What's Happened To The NSPCC Letter From Santa?

If you've ordered the NSPCC's personalised letters in previous years, there's a change you need to know about.

The charity has confirmed its Letter from Santa scheme is taking a break, so those beautifully illustrated personalised letters won't be landing on doormats this Christmas.

In its place, the NSPCC has launched a Kindness Kit, a festive activity pack with tasks for children to complete in the run-up to Christmas and a reward certificate at the end.

It supports the same brilliant cause, helping to keep Childline answering children's calls around the clock, so it's still well worth a look if you'd like your Christmas spending to do some good.

If it's specifically a personalised letter you're after, you still have options. YHA runs a Letter from Santa fundraiser where a donation gets a child a letter while supporting breaks for disadvantaged young people, and paid services such as Lapland Letters offer personalised letters from around £7.

As with anything you find online at Christmas, check the details and reviews are current before you pay, because schemes come and go from year to year.

Prefer A Phone Call From Santa Instead?

If your little one isn't fussed about post, how about a call from the big man himself? The Message from Santa app offers video messages, calls, voicemails, and texts from Santa, built around scenarios such as making the nice list, getting ready for bed, or brushing teeth.

The messages are pre-recorded rather than live, but they're convincingly done, and my son played along happily for years even after he'd started to suspect.

The app is free to download, but the adverts on the free version are relentless, so the small yearly fee to remove them and unlock full personalisation is money well spent in my experience.

The voicemail feature is my favourite, because you can "phone Santa" in front of your child and get a very believable North Pole answerphone, complete with press-a-number options to hear about the reindeer. As a parent who occasionally plays the "I'm calling Santa" card, I can confirm it works wonders.

Writing to Santa is a small ritual with a big payoff, and it costs less than a coffee to make it happen. Get the letter written together one evening in late November, walk it to the postbox as a little event in itself, and let the anticipation do the rest.

Writing to Santa is a small ritual with a big payoff, and it costs less than a coffee to make it happen. Get the letter written together one evening in late November, walk it to the postbox as a little event in itself, and let the anticipation do the rest.

All scheme details in this post were checked in July 2026 against last year's confirmed information, and I'll refresh the dates as soon as Royal Mail and the RNIB announce this year's deadlines.

FAQ: Free Letters From Santa

How do I get a free letter from Santa in the UK? Post your child's letter to Santa/Father Christmas, Santa's Grotto, Reindeerland, XM4 5HQ with a stamp on the envelope. Include your child's full name and address, and Royal Mail will send a free reply from Santa.

Do you need a stamp to send a letter to Santa? Yes, a standard stamp is needed to get your letter to Reindeerland. The reply from Santa comes back completely free of charge.

What is the deadline for Santa letters this year? Royal Mail hasn't confirmed this year's date yet, but the deadline usually falls in the second week of December. Last year it was the 10th of December, and I'll update this post as soon as the new date is announced.

Is the NSPCC doing Letter from Santa this year? No, the NSPCC has paused its personalised Letter from Santa scheme. It now offers a Kindness Kit activity pack instead, and alternatives such as YHA's Letter from Santa are available if you want a personalised letter.

Can my child get a Santa letter in braille or audio? Yes, the RNIB offers free Santa letters in braille, audio and large print for children with vision impairment. Royal Mail can also arrange braille, large print and British Sign Language replies by email request.

Writing to Santa is a small ritual with a big payoff, and it costs less than a coffee to make it happen. Get the letter written together one evening in late November, walk it to the postbox as a little event in itself, and let the anticipation do the rest.