Where to get a letter from Santa this year
Free postmark programs, print-at-home letters, classic mail-order services, and do-it-yourself templates: every kind of option, what it costs, and which one fits your December.
There are more ways to get a letter from Santa than most parents expect: some free, some lovely, some closed by the second week of December. Here's the honest tour of every kind of option, fastest first. (Full disclosure: option one is us.)
1. Jolly Santa Letters: instant, free, print at home
Make a personalized letter online (festive stationery, hand-penned Santa handwriting, your child's details woven in) and print it at home minutes later, free. Because nothing ships, there's no deadline: it works the same on December 2 and December 24. Keepsake upgrades are optional: a matching envelope and Official Nice List certificate for $4.99, or a one-of-a-kind letter written by Santa's helpers.
Best for: tonight, the last-minute, and anyone who'd rather not pay for postage and waiting.
2. The write-it-yourself postmark: genuine stamping, nearly free
The classic: write Santa's reply yourself, mail it off through a postmark program with postage, and it comes back stamped from the North Pole. The postmark is genuine and the price is only postage, but you do the writing, and prepared replies need to be in the mail by very early December. Timing lives in our deadlines guide.
Best for: postmark collectors with a stamped envelope ready by early December.
3. Letters to Santa: the giving direction
Worth knowing about, though it's the other direction: seasonal letter-adoption programs publish children's letters to Santa so generous adopters can answer them with gifts. They don't send your child a letter from Santa: they're how your family can play Santa for someone else's.
Best for: families who want to give, not receive.
4. Mail-order letter services: printed and posted for you
A whole cottage industry mails printed letters to your door, from plain personalized letters at around $10 to $30 to boxed productions with extras (certificates, "official" documents, reindeer food) at several times that. Quality, personalization, and cutoffs vary widely: read recent reviews and check the ship-by date before you pay, and order well before mid-December.
Best for: a mailed keepsake without lifting a pen, ordered early.
5. Santa video and call apps: screens, not paper
The app stores do personalized Santa videos and calls brilliantly; letters aren't the main event there. If you want paper in a stocking, pair a screen moment with a printed letter from elsewhere on this list. (Prefer the phone to ring at your house? A personal call from Santa is ours.)
Best for: a screen moment alongside (not instead of) a keepsake letter.
6. Handmade shops: made to order and variable
Independent sellers on handmade marketplaces offer letters printable or mailed, from a few dollars up. The best are genuinely lovely; read recent reviews, confirm personalization is included, and mind each shop's own deadline.
Best for: a specific aesthetic you've fallen for, with time to vet the shop.
7. Free printable templates: the do-it-yourself route
Design sites and printables blogs offer free letter templates: you download a design, write the words yourself, and wrestle the layout. Free and immediate, but the wording, fonts, and printing are all on you. (If you'd rather skip the wrestling, option one fills in the words for you, also free.)
Best for: confident DIYers who enjoy the crafting as much as the result.
Choosing at a glance
| Option | Price | Speed | Personalized? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jolly Santa Letters (print at home) | Free; keepsakes from $4.99 | Minutes, no deadline | Yes, written in for each child |
| Write-it-yourself postmark program | Postage only | Weeks; mail by ~Dec 1 | Yes, but you write it |
| Mail-order letter services | ~$10–30; boxed sets more | 1–2 weeks; order by mid-Dec | Usually, from set templates |
| Handmade-marketplace shops | ~$5–25 | Varies by shop | Usually |
| Free printable templates | Free | Instant | No, you write everything |
Prices and cutoffs above are typical for each category and shift each season: services confirm their details in the fall, so check before you order. Compare the three methods side by side in how to get a letter from Santa.
Common questions
What is the fastest way to get a letter from Santa?
Print-at-home. Make a personalized letter online and print it in minutes, free, so it works even on December 24, when every mailed option has long closed. Mail-order services typically need one to two weeks and close orders by mid-December.
What is the cheapest way to get a letter from Santa?
Two options are effectively free: print a personalized letter at home, or write Santa’s reply yourself and mail it off through a postmark program for the cost of postage. Mail-order letters generally run from around $10 to $30 or more.
How do I get a letter with a real North Pole postmark?
The mailed route: write Santa’s reply yourself and send it off through a postmark program in time to come back stamped from the North Pole, usually by very early December. Give any postmarked option lead time: they all close well before Christmas.
What is the difference between a letter from Santa and a package from Santa?
A letter is the keepsake itself: personalized words from Santa your child can hold and keep. Package services bundle a printed letter with physical extras like certificates or reindeer food, shipped to your door at a higher price and with earlier cutoffs.
The fast, free one is right here
Make a personalized letter from Santa and print it at home in minutes, free, with keepsake upgrades when you want them.