Write a letter to Santa

A letter to Santa says who you are, one thing you're proud of, your wishes in order and a question for him. Fill in this free Santa letter template, pick your paper, then print it or save it. In the U.S., mail it to Santa, 123 Elf Road, North Pole, 88888, postmarked by December 5, 2026.

Updated by the Hey Santa elves

Fill in your letter to Santa

Type in the blanks and the letter writes itself on the paper. Any blank you leave empty prints as a line to finish by hand, so little ones can write their own name.

About you
Your year
Three wishes
Kind and curious
Pick your paper

See my letter

Date:

Dear Santa,

My name is and I am . I live in .

This year I'm proud that I .

Here are my Christmas wishes:

One wish for someone else: .

My question for you: ?

Please say hello to Mrs. Claus, the elves and the reindeer.

Love,

Your letter stays on this device. Nothing you type is sent to us or anyone else. The draft is kept only in this browser, so you can come back and finish it.

What is Santa's address?

In the United States, the Postal Service gives Santa's North Pole address as Santa, 123 Elf Road, North Pole, 88888. A letter sent there with a First-Class stamp goes to USPS Operation Santa. The Postal Service traces the program back to 1912, when Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock let local postmasters open letters to Santa so employees could read and answer them.

In Canada, the address is Santa Claus, North Pole, H0H 0H0, Canada, and no stamp is needed when you mail it inside Canada. The postal code uses zeros, not the letter O: H, zero, H, then zero, H, zero. Canada Post says its elves have sorted over one million letters a year for more than 40 years.

Either way, include your return address. USPS asks for your full name and return address in the top left corner of the envelope, and in the letter too. Without a return address there is nowhere to send a reply. We copied both addresses from the official pages on October 15, 2026.

Elves in red suits sort piles of envelopes in a candlelit post office, climbing ladders to the shelves and filling sacks tied with red ribbon
Santa's mailroom. The story goes that elves sort every letter by hand.

Your first and last name
Street and apartment number
City, State ZIP

Santa
123 Elf Road
North Pole, 88888

From the U.S.: a First-Class stamp goes in the top right corner. Families can mail all their letters in one envelope with extra stamps for the weight. USPS instructions

Your name
Street address
City, Province, Postal code

No stamp needed in Canada

Santa Claus
North Pole
H0H 0H0
Canada

From Canada: drop it in any Canada Post mailbox or post office. Letters from one family go in the same envelope. Canada Post instructions

When is the deadline to mail a letter to Santa in 2026?

Mail early. U.S. letters to 123 Elf Road must be postmarked by Saturday, December 5, 2026. Canada Post asks for letters no later than Wednesday, December 9, 2026, and says it can't guarantee delivery dates. For a reply with a North Pole postmark, USPS recommends sending the packet between November 23 and December 1.

USPS Operation Santa started taking 2026 letters on Monday, September 14. Volunteer adopters sign up from Monday, November 2, and adoption starts Monday, November 16. Writers need a postmark by Saturday, December 5, and adopters have until Saturday, December 12. Gifts from adopters can arrive any time from November to mid-January 2027. From outside Canada, Canada Post recommends sending your letter as early as possible and can't guarantee delivery dates for international mail.

Mail serviceSend toStampMail by (2026)Does Santa write back?
USPS Operation SantaSanta, 123 Elf Road, North Pole, 88888First-Class stampPostmarked by Saturday, December 5Not guaranteed. Letters may be adopted by volunteers who send gifts.
Canada PostSanta Claus, North Pole, H0H 0H0, CanadaNone needed inside CanadaNo later than Wednesday, December 9Canada Post says Santa responds to all letters he receives. Include a return address.
Canada Post, from another countrySanta Claus, North Pole, H0H 0H0, CanadaInternational postage to CanadaAs early as possibleYes, in the same language. Santa covers the return postage.
USPS North Pole postmarkNorth Pole Postmark, Postmaster, 4141 Postmark Dr, Anchorage, AK 99530-9998On both envelopesRecommended November 23 to December 1A grown-up writes the reply. It comes back with the North Pole postmark.

Checked on the official USPS and Canada Post pages on October 15, 2026. Dates can change, so open the links before you mail.

How do you write a letter to Santa?

Keep it to one page and write it the way you talk. Santa gets a lot of mail, and the USPS elves ask for letters that are easy to read. This order works for a 4-year-old with a helper and for a grown-up with a pen:

  1. Start with "Dear Santa," and say who you are. First name, age and town. For USPS Operation Santa, also put your first and last name and full return address inside the letter.
  2. Tell him one thing you're proud of. A new skill, a kind thing you did, something hard you kept trying.
  3. List your wishes in order. The one you want most goes first. Be specific: book and game titles, sizes and colors help. USPS also asks writers not to ask for gifts that might be too expensive.
  4. Add a wish for someone else. A brother, a grandparent, a friend down the street.
  5. Ask Santa a question. It turns a list into a letter.
  6. Sign it and keep it flat. USPS says glitter and glued-on things like macaroni or beads can keep a letter from being uploaded, so draw instead of glue.
A dad and a girl with her little brother draw wish lists at a wooden table, with cocoa, gingerbread cookies, a candle and a small Christmas tree in the snowy window
Writing to Santa works best at the kitchen table, with cocoa.

A sample letter to Santa

Here are two finished "Dear Santa" letters made with the template above, one from a 6-year-old and one from a grown-up. Borrow the shape, then make the words your own.

November 20, 2026

Dear Santa,

My name is Rosa and I am 6 years old. I live in Tucson.

This year I'm proud that I learned to swim to the deep end.

Here are my Christmas wishes:

  1. a tea set for my stuffed animals
  2. a book about sharks
  3. glow-in-the-dark stars for my ceiling

One wish for someone else: a cozy blanket for my grandma.

My question for you: How do the reindeer stay warm on the roof?

Please say hello to Mrs. Claus, the elves and the reindeer.

Love,
Rosa

Rosa, 6, on candy stripe paper.
November 22, 2026

Dear Santa,

My name is Dev and I am a grown-up. I live in Columbus.

This year I'm proud that I ran my first 5K after years of saying I would.

Here are my Christmas wishes:

  1. a cast-iron skillet
  2. good running socks
  3. one slow morning with coffee and no alarm

One wish for someone else: a new bike for my niece.

My question for you: Do you get to sleep in on December 26?

Please say hello to Mrs. Claus, the elves and the reindeer.

Your friend,
Dev

Dev, a grown-up, on starry night paper. Grown-ups write to Santa too.

What should I write in my letter to Santa?

Write the way you'd talk to Santa across the kitchen table. Tell him one real thing about your year, then the wishes, in order, with enough detail that an elf could find them: the book title, the size, the color. Add one wish for someone you love, and one question you really want answered. Grown-ups can wish for things you can't wrap, like a slow morning or a visit from family. Keep it kind and keep it short; one page is plenty.

Stuck on a blank? Borrow an idea from the notepad. If you're making a long list first, try the Christmas wish list maker and copy your top three here. Wondering where you stand this year? The elves keep the Nice List checker open all season.

Want to see where the letters go? Take the North Pole map to the post office, then the reindeer stable next door.

How do you get a letter back from Santa?

It depends on where you mail it. Here are the three routes, with the details we checked on October 15, 2026. Whichever you pick, print two copies of your letter: one to mail, one to keep. USPS says it doesn't keep or return letters after the season.

  • Canada Post

    A letter back

    Canada Post says Santa responds to all letters he receives. Put your return address on it, and mail it by December 9, 2026. Inside Canada, no stamp is needed.

    From another country, add international postage to Canada. The reply comes back in the language you wrote in, and Santa covers the return postage. Canada Post's tips

  • USPS Operation Santa

    Maybe a gift, never promised

    Letters to 123 Elf Road are read, last names and addresses are blacked out, and from November 16 they are posted online for volunteers to adopt. Adopters send a gift anonymously, and any note is signed from Santa.

    USPS is clear that a letter may not be posted or adopted, so a reply is never guaranteed. Gifts can arrive any time from November to mid-January 2027. USPS FAQs

  • North Pole postmark

    A grown-up writes the reply

    Write Santa's reply and sign it "From Santa." Put it with the child's letter in an envelope addressed to the child, with SANTA, NORTH POLE as the return address and a First-Class stamp. Mail that inside a larger stamped envelope to:

    North Pole Postmark, Postmaster
    4141 Postmark Dr
    Anchorage, AK 99530-9998

    USPS suggests mentioning something the child did this year, which is what the "proud" line is for. USPS steps

Free printable letter to Santa template

Prefer pencils and crayons? Print this blank Santa letter template. It has the same lines as the letter writer, with a small label under each line so younger writers know what goes where. It fits on one sheet of US Letter or A4 paper and uses the paper style you picked above. For a PDF, press Print and pick Save as PDF in the print window.

A tip for little ones: a grown-up types what the child says into the letter writer, leaves the name blank, and the child writes their own name on the printout. Kids who can't write yet can draw their wishes in the margins. Canada Post says pictures are welcome.

Date:

Dear Santa,

My name is and I am . I live in .

This year I'm proud that I .

Here are my Christmas wishes:

One wish for someone else: .

My question for you: ?

Please say hello to Mrs. Claus, the elves and the reindeer.

Love,

Rather say it out loud?

A letter is lovely to keep, but it takes days to arrive and a reply isn't certain. Some wishes are more fun to say out loud. You can talk to Santa on a live video call right in your browser. Santa here is an AI video character: he listens and answers out loud, live, on a phone, tablet or computer, with no app. You need a microphone, not a camera.

Kids call with a grown-up, and grown-ups call for themselves. Read him your letter, and afterward the wishes come back as a wish list with real store prices and links. Calls are not recorded. Here's how calling Santa works, from setup to the list.

A grandmother, a young woman, a small boy and his dad laugh together on the sofa during a video call by the Christmas tree
One call, the whole sofa. Everyone gets a turn.
Mailed letterLive video call
CostA stamp in the U.S. Free from inside Canada.$1 a minute, in packs of 5, 10 or 20 minutes.
When Santa answersBy mail, if a reply comes. Delivery dates aren't guaranteed.Right away, out loud.
What you keepYour copy of the letter, and any reply.A wish list with real store prices and links.
Best forA keepsake, and practice writing.Questions, laughs and the whole family at once.

You can do both: write the letter here, mail it, then read it to Santa on a call.

Letter to Santa questions

Do you need a stamp to send a letter to Santa?

In the U.S., yes. USPS asks for a First-Class stamp in the top right corner of the envelope. A family that mails all its letters in one envelope adds stamps for the extra weight. In Canada, no stamp is needed when you mail the letter from inside the country.

What is the North Pole ZIP code?

For USPS Operation Santa, it's 88888, as in Santa, 123 Elf Road, North Pole, 88888. Canada Post uses the postal code H0H 0H0 (with zeros, not the letter O) for Santa Claus at the North Pole.

Can grown-ups write a letter to Santa?

Yes. USPS has no age limit: it says you're never too young or too old, and a parent, guardian, teacher or caregiver can help someone who can't write on their own. The letter writer above has an "I'm a grown-up" option.

Will I get my letter back?

Not from USPS. It says it doesn't keep physical letters after the season and can't return them. Print two copies, or save a PNG before you mail the paper one.

Can I decorate the letter?

Draw as much as you like. For USPS Operation Santa, keep it flat: USPS says glitter and glued-on objects like macaroni and beads can keep a letter from being uploaded.

Can I get the Santa letter template as a PDF?

Yes. Press "Print the blank template" or "Print my letter," then pick Save as PDF in the print window. You get a one-page PDF on the paper you picked. "Download PNG" saves the same letter as a picture.

How long should a letter to Santa be?

One page is plenty. The template above prints on a single sheet of US Letter or A4, with room for three wishes, a wish for someone else and a question.

Does this page send my letter anywhere?

No. The letter writer runs in your browser and nothing you type is sent to Hey Santa or anyone else. The draft is saved only in this browser. Tap "Start over" to clear it.

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

Read your letter to Santa, live.

Call Santa on a live video call and read him your letter out loud. He listens and answers right away, and your wishes come back as a list with real store prices. $1 a minute, no app.

Call Santa

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