Send Letters OnlineEvery year, children across the UK write to Santa. Not many get a reply that mentions what they actually wrote. This guide explains the options for 2026, what they cost, and how to get a letter on the doormat before Christmas.
The three ways to get a letter from Santa
There are three common routes. Each suits a different family, so it helps to know what you get before you choose.
The first is Royal Mail's seasonal Santa reply. Royal Mail has offered a free reply, but you still need to pay the postage to send your child's letter. It is a lovely tradition. The details change each year, including the address and the deadline for writing in, so check royalmail.com for the 2026 rules and availability. The reply is a standard one, rather than a response written around your child's own words.
The second is a ready-made Santa letter from one of the many companies that sell them. Prices and quality vary a great deal. Some use your child's name and a few fields. Others are fully written templates with a name added. Look at a sample before you pay, and check when the letter is posted.
The third is a personalised letter from Santa written in reply to your child's own words. That is what we offer, and the rest of this guide explains how it works.
What is inside the envelope
Each order is three colour pages, printed in the UK and posted via Royal Mail.
- Page one is the letter. It replies to what your child wrote, quotes a phrase or two back to them and mentions details you share, such as a pet or something they were proud of this year.
- Page two is a Nice List certificate with your child's name and home town.
- Page three is an illustrated map of Santa's route from Reindeerland to their town, with a short Christmas Eve checklist.
The envelope is addressed to your child. You can choose whether the letter is signed by Santa or Father Christmas, and whether the tone is warm and gentle or funny and playful.
How it works
You start by adding your child's first name, last name, age, home town and delivery address. If you have more than one child, you can add each of them to the same basket. Every child gets a separate letter and a separate envelope.
Next, you help Santa write. You can upload a photo or scan of your child's own letter, and we will read it for you to check and correct. Or you can type what they asked for. Extra details are optional, and the more you share, the more personal the reply feels.
Santa then writes the reply. You can edit any word, ask Santa to try again up to 3 times, and see a preview of all three pages. The preview is the exact file that is printed.
Prices for 2026
A letter costs £9.95. That includes colour printing of all three pages and Second Class postage. If you pay by card, a single £0.99 processing fee applies per basket, not per child. If you pay from a prepaid balance, there is no fee.
The only extra is a personalised Santa video for £6.99 per child. It adds a fourth printed page with a unique QR code that opens the video. We prepare and upload the video after purchase, and the pack is not posted until it is ready. Overseas packs include International Standard postage at the same base price, with no paid postage upgrades.
Posting dates and Christmas deadlines
The date you choose is the day we post the letter. It is not a promised delivery date. Royal Mail aims for next working day with First Class and two to three working days with Second Class, but those are targets. Christmas is the busiest time of year for the post.
If you want the letter to arrive as soon as possible, order as early as you can and choose the first posting date that suits you. If you want it to land closer to Christmas, choose a later working day, and keep it well inside Royal Mail's recommended last posting dates. Our guide to Christmas 2026 last posting dates explains how those deadlines usually fall.
You can change the posting date or cancel from your order page until 8:00am UK time on the day it is due to be posted. After that, the order is locked, because printing begins.
A fair comparison
If you only want a simple reply and you are happy to follow Royal Mail's process, the free scheme is hard to beat on price. If you want the reply to refer to what your child actually said, and you want to control when it is posted, a personalised letter is worth the cost. If you buy from other companies, ask what is personalised, who writes it and when it will be posted.
Ordering for grandchildren abroad
You can order from anywhere, and we print and post the letter from the UK. UK recipients receive Second Class postage; overseas recipients receive International Standard. Both are included in the base price. Allow extra time for overseas delivery.
Ready to order?
You can order a letter from Father Christmas in a few minutes on your phone. You see the exact letter before you pay, and you choose the day it is posted. Nothing is printed until you approve it.
We cannot guarantee a delivery date, and we will always say so. What we can promise is that the letter is printed carefully, checked by you and posted on the day you choose.