If you mail a letter to Santa Claus, especially if you send it via postal services that have dedicated initiatives (such as Poste Italiane), magic happens: the letter is collected, often sorted by elves or volunteers and, if you have given a return address, Santa Claus (or his helpers) will reply to you.
In short, a dream come true: being contacted directly by Santa Claus, just like in the book Letters from Santa Claus, collection of missives containing stories from the Arctic Circle, which JRR Tolkien – author, among others, of The Lord of the Rings – wrote on behalf of Santa Claus for his children.
Poste Italiane responds on behalf of Santa Claus
In Italy, if you post a letter addressed to Santa Claus with complete sender address of all the data, you receive a response from Santa Claus “in person” complete with a small gadget.
This is the initiative Santa’s Mailpromoted by Poste Italiane which, for several years now, has aimed at keeping alive the custom of writing a letter by hand addressed to Santa Claus. For this purpose, approximately 250 sorting points have been activated throughout the country, in which groups and schools can also participate. The Post Office has included this initiative among the projects of social and educational valuejust as it is done in other countries around the world.
Where to send the letter to Santa Claus and how to receive a response
The official residence of Santa Claus is Rovaniemiin Finland, in the Lapland region, just outside the Arctic Circle. Here there is also Santa Claus’ post office, where letters arrive from all over the world. Over 2 million letters arrive here every year from more than 200 countries around the world, written by children, but also by adults: Santa Claus’ village is open all year round, and visitors can witness the moment when the “elves” respond to letters, postcards and even emails. The address to write to is: Santa Claus’ Main Post Office, Tähtikuja 1, 96930 Napapiiri Rovaniemi, Finland.
But not only that: visitors can also leave greeting letters for friends and relatives here, which will be sent for Christmas, stamped and decorated in typical Christmas style and the sender will indeed be… Santa Claus! An original idea that allows you not only to write a letter to Santa Claus, but to receive a thought from him in person.
How to write a little letter in other countries in Europe and the world
There are many countries around the world that expect a response to a letter addressed to Santa Claus, a clear demonstration of how much the Christmas spirit really exists.
In Canada, for example, there is an official address activated by the national post office: Santa Claus, North Pole, H0H 0H0, Canada. Canada Post responds to all letters in the language they are written, even in braille!
The same thing is done in Swisswhere you can write to Baby Jesus, Way of the stars, Paradise or a Santa Claus, Arctic Circle, North Pole.
In Germanythen, in the Saarland region there is the town of St. Nikolauswhere a real Santa Claus post office has been activated with other branches around the country. There is also another much-loved sorting point in the village of Himmelpfort which, literally, means “gate to Paradise”.
