How to call Santa Claus

Santa Claus has no official phone number, but you can call him live on video, right in your browser. Free hotlines play a recorded greeting and take a voicemail. On a live call, ask Santa for the gift you want, and he answers out loud. Kids call with a grown-up, and grown-ups call for themselves, at $1 a minute.

Updated by the Hey Santa elves

Plan your call with Santa

Pick who's calling and the kind of call. The elves suggest five things to say or ask, and the minute pack that fits.

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Your child's call with Santa

Wishes · My child

Open with Hi Santa! It's me!

  1. The number one thing on my list is ___.
  2. Can I have it in ___? That's my favorite color.
  3. I also wished for ___, if there's room in the sleigh.
  4. Can the elves make something for my ___ too?
  5. How do the elves know what size I am?

Elf tip: Say each wish slowly, with the color or size, so the wish list after the call has the right one.

5 minutes$5

Suggested pack One good call. Room for a big wish and a few questions.

Start the call

See every minute pack. $1 a minute, no subscription.

Does Santa have a phone number?

No. Santa Claus has no official phone number. The "Santa phone numbers" passed around each December are free hotlines, often run by companies, and they come and go. Most play a recorded greeting and let you leave a message, so nobody answers live.

The most famous Santa line began by accident. The story goes that in 1955 a Sears ad in a Colorado Springs newspaper gave children a number for calling Santa, and a child's call reached the Continental Air Defense Command instead. Nobody is sure whether the ad had a misprint or the number was misdialed. Colonel Harry Shoup played along, and on Christmas Eve his command told the press it was tracking Santa's sleigh. That tradition became NORAD Tracks Santa. On Christmas Eve 2025, more than 1,000 volunteers took calls about where Santa was flying, not about what was on anyone's list.

Here there's no number to dial. You call Santa by video in your browser, and he hears you and answers out loud.

A grandmother, a young woman, a small boy and his dad on the sofa by the Christmas tree, smiling at a laptop during a call
A family call by the fire, everyone around one laptop.

What are the ways to call Santa?

There are five common ways to call Santa: a free Santa hotline, a personalized Santa video, a letter, a booked call with a Santa performer, and a live Santa video call like the one here. Hotlines, videos and letters are recorded or written ahead, so Santa can't answer back in the moment. The last two are live.

Way to reach SantaDoes Santa answer you?WhenWhat it costs
Free Santa hotlineNo A recorded greeting, then you leave a voicemailDay or night, 24/7Free, though phone rates may apply
Personalized Santa videoNo Filmed ahead, with your child's name and photos addedReady in minutes, or scheduledFree trial videos; longer ones cost extra
Letter to SantaNo Some letters get a reply by mailMail by early DecemberA stamp in the US; free inside Canada
Booked call with a Santa performerYes Live, at the time you bookedAbout 8 to 12 minutes for a family, booked aheadFrom about $35 to $95 a call (2026 listings)
Live Santa video call HereYes Live; Santa is an AI video characterWhen you're ready, no booking$1 a minute, in packs of 5, 10 or 20 minutes

1Free Santa hotlines

Search "Santa phone number" in December and free numbers turn up everywhere. They play a recorded greeting from Santa, then let you leave a voicemail with your wishes, and some text you a link to your own message afterward. They run day and night and cost nothing beyond normal phone rates, which makes them a fine first thrill for a toddler. Nobody answers live, so a question gets no reply.

2Personalized Santa videos

These are filmed ahead of time. You type in your child's name, add photos and a few details, and the video weaves them in, ready in minutes or scheduled for a set time. Some start with a free trial video and charge for longer, premium ones. They make a lovely keepsake to watch again, but Santa can't hear a reply.

3Letters to Santa

In the US, letters to Santa Claus, 123 Elf Road, North Pole 88888 go to the Postal Service's Operation Santa, which has handled Santa mail since 1912. For 2026 they must be postmarked by December 5, and volunteers adopt letters to answer, though not every letter gets picked. Canada Post answers letters sent to Santa Claus, North Pole, H0H 0H0, Canada; mail yours with your return address by December 9, 2026, and no stamp is needed inside Canada. Write your letter to Santa here first.

4Booked calls with a Santa performer

A person in a Santa suit joins you on a video app at a time you book, often days ahead. The 2026 listings we checked run about 8 to 12 minutes for a family call, starting from about $35 to $95. It's a real person, which some families want, and you plan the evening around the slot.

5A live Santa video call here

Santa is an AI video character. He answers on video in your browser, hears you through the microphone and answers out loud, live, with no booking and no app. Kids call with a grown-up beside them, and grown-ups call for themselves. It costs $1 a minute in packs of 5, 10 or 20 minutes, and every wish he hears comes back as a list with store prices. Start a live call with Santa.

Elves sort piles of letters and mail sacks in the North Pole post office, one elf climbing a ladder to the shelves
The North Pole post office in December: letters are slow, but they last.

How does a live video call with Santa work?

It works in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer. Santa is on video; you only need a microphone. Then it's you and Santa, live.

  1. Get minutes

    A grown-up (18 or older) picks a pack of 5, 10 or 20 minutes. There's no subscription.

  2. Open the call

    Use the browser on a phone, tablet or computer. There's no app to install.

  3. Allow the microphone

    Santa needs to hear you, not see you, so no camera is needed.

  4. Talk with Santa

    He listens and answers out loud, live, on video. Start with the gift you want.

  5. Hang up, get the list

    After the call, your wishes come back as a wish list with real store prices and links.

What should you have ready before you call Santa?

A little prep makes a short call feel big. Check these off before you press the button.

  • A phone, tablet or computer with a current web browser, charged up. There's no app.
  • A quiet spot. Hold the phone close, and let Santa finish talking before you answer.
  • The microphone switched on. Santa needs to hear you; he doesn't need to see you.
  • First names only. Santa doesn't ask for personal details, so keep last names, addresses and schools to yourself.
  • The big wishes, with color and size. If the list is long, write a Christmas wish list first.
  • For a child: a grown-up beside them for the whole call.
A dad, a mom and a small child draw their Christmas wish lists at a candlelit table with toy catalogs and gingerbread stars
Wish lists first, then the call.

What do kids and grown-ups ask Santa?

When you talk to Santa Claus, start with the big one. Ask for the gift you want by name, with the color or size, so the wish list after the call has the right one. After that, ask him anything. Kids might ask about reindeer, elves and the Nice List. Grown-ups ask for their own gifts, for ideas for the people on their list, or just say thank you. If a little one goes quiet, sit close and help them with a question from the list below.

Kids ask

  • Can I have a ___ for Christmas? The red one!
  • Which reindeer is the fastest?
  • What do elves eat for breakfast?
  • Is Rudolph's nose really that bright?
  • How do you fit down the chimney?
  • Am I on the Nice List?
  • What is Mrs. Claus baking today?

Grown-ups ask

  • I'd love a ___ this year. Can you put it on my list?
  • What should I get my dad, who has everything?
  • Any gift ideas for a ten-year-old who loves space?
  • How do you handle the Christmas Eve rush?
  • Can you say hi to my mom? She's right here.
  • What was your favorite Christmas Eve ever?
  • What's the best part of being Santa?

Wondering about the Nice List before the call? Check the Naughty or Nice List with the elves.

How long is a call with Santa, and what does it cost?

A call costs $1 a minute, from packs of 5, 10 or 20 minutes ($5, $10 or $20). There are no free minutes and no subscription. A grown-up picks the pack and pays for it, so you choose how long the call can run: 5, 10 or 20 minutes.

How long should it be? Booked video visits with a Santa performer run about 8 to 12 minutes for a family, which makes a handy yardstick. One child with one big wish may need less. A family passing the phone around the room will want more. The call planner above suggests a pack for who's calling.

What happens after you talk to Santa?

When you hang up, the wishes from the call come back as your wish list, with real store prices: the stores that sell each gift, the price at each one and a link to buy it there.

You pay only for minutes with Santa, and you choose where to shop. Kids can keep adding ideas any time with the free Christmas wish list maker.

Santa never promises that a gift will come, so the list is a guide for the grown-ups. Read it together while the call is fresh, or keep it for later as a surprise plan.

An old elf with a quill writes on a long paper scroll at a carved desk while two young elves hold up the end of the list
The elves turn every wish into a list.

Is calling Santa safe for kids?

Santa's line follows house rules, and a grown-up stays in charge from start to finish.

  • A grown-up runs the accountEvery account belongs to a grown-up, 18 or older, who pays for the minutes. Kids call with a grown-up beside them.
  • No personal detailsSanta follows child-safety rules: he doesn't ask for personal details like a last name, address or school.
  • No promises he can't keepSanta listens to every wish, but he never promises that a gift will come.
  • Kind and age-appropriateSanta keeps every call kind and right for the age of whoever is talking.
  • Calls are not recordedNo audio or video of the call is kept. What you get afterward is the wish list.
  • Honest about who Santa isThis Santa is an AI video character who talks in real time, not a person in a suit. You decide how to talk about that with your child. How the AI Santa works.

More questions about calling Santa

Is there a free way to call Santa?

Yes. Free Santa hotlines play a recorded greeting and take a voicemail, and on Christmas Eve, NORAD Tracks Santa volunteers traditionally answer calls about where Santa is flying. A live two-way video call here costs $1 a minute; there are no free minutes.

Can my child get a phone call from Santa?

Not from this Santa: he doesn't ring phones. You start the live video call yourself in the browser, when everyone is ready. Some apps ring a phone at a time you pick with a personalized call from Santa, but it was recorded ahead, so he can't answer back.

Can you talk to Santa Claus live?

Yes. A booked call puts you on video with a person in a Santa suit at a set time. Here, Santa is an AI video character who listens and answers out loud whenever you're ready. Recorded hotlines, videos and letters can't talk back.

Does Santa need to see us?

No. Santa hears you through the microphone. No camera is needed, and there's no app to install.

Can we call Santa on Christmas Eve?

Yes. There's nothing to book, so you can call whenever you have minutes. Christmas Eve 2026 is Thursday, December 24.

What if my child is shy?

Sit beside them and say hello first. Pick two or three questions from the call planner so they have something ready. Short answers are fine.

Can grown-ups call Santa without kids?

Yes. Santa talks with grown-ups too: ask for your own gift, get ideas for the people on your list, or just say thank you. Pick "Me" in the call planner for things to say.

How many days until Christmas?

Christmas 2026 is Friday, December 25. The Christmas countdown shows the days, hours and sleeps left in your time zone.

Santa in his red suit on a gold throne, holding a wrapped giftLive video

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