A letter from Santa adds to a child's enjoyment of the magic of Christmas and helps build up the excitement and joy for the little ones, making Christmas all that more special for them, so it's great that the Royal Mail is once again offering their free 'Letter from Santa' service for 2022.
Your little ones can send off a letter to the jolly man, right now, right up until 9th December, to get a reply in time for Christmas.
Simply send your childs letter to:
Santa/Father Christmas Santa’s Grotto Reindeerland XM4 5HQ
If you would like a reply in Welsh, send your letter to:
Sion Corn Ogof Sion Corn Gwlad Y Ceirw XM4 5HQ
You need to ensure that you have your full address on the letter, and make sure that you put a stamp on the envelope! The reply is sent free of charge, and replies will begin from the 21st of November onwards.
You should expect it to take about 10 days or so for your reply to come through, but this could be a little longer the later you leave it to send your letter.
If you want to save the cost of the stamp, you can download the reply you will receive here, which you can print yourself.
It's wise to post your note with plenty of time before the deadline as it's a busy time of year for Royal Mail, and industrial action is taking place, causing extra delays.
The Royal Mail isn't your only option for a letter from Santa
Another option for a letter is to order a personalised letter from Santa from the NSPCC. For a suggested £8 donation, you can choose a letter, from eight designs, and include personalised information, such as recognition of the child's achievements over the year, other family members or friends, and perhaps information about their school or home, making the letter seem very specific to them, adding to the magic.
The suggested donation of £8 could give vital support to a child by helping ensure that Childline stays open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. A child will contact Childline every 25 seconds this winter.
You can have your letter written in English or Welsh, depending on your preference. I have not been able to find a closing date for the service, so I would ensure you order the letter asap so as not to be disappointed.
If your child suffers from a vision issue, the Royal National Institute of Blind People offers a letter from Santa in an accessible reading format - be that braille, audio or large print - bringing extra seasonal joy to hundreds of visually impaired children.
This is a free service, with the option of giving a donation if you wish. The closing date for requesting a letter is the 2nd of December 2022.
If your little one isn't really into letters, how about a call from Santa instead? There is an app called 'Message from Santa!' and this allows you to grab personalised calls, video calls, messages, and even texts from Santa, which can be geared around specific scenarios such as being put on the good list, the naughty list, getting the child to get ready to bed, getting the child ready for school, ensuring their still behaving and many more, which can be a lovely thing for the child to being involved in, and also pretty helpful for the parents to help get the child to do what is wanted of tMessage hem! The 'You might go on the naughty list if you don't clean your teeth' message has been super useful for us!
It's free to download and use, but I suggest paying a £1.99 fee (1-year subscription), which removes all the adverts and allows full personalisation, which definitely makes it even more authentic and magical for the child. The adverts are a pain on the free version, there are so many, but believe me, the £1.99 version is excellent value for money!!
I really like the voicemail option! I'm a parent who, rightly or wrongly, plays the 'I'm phoning Santa card' if my crazy son isn't behaving, and it really works! The voicemail is fab as you can pretend to call Santa and get his voicemail, and it really adds to the illusion of me calling him, and there are all sorts of press 6 to hear the names of reindeer-type options making it fun and super realistic! Money well spent!