Writing Letters from Santa to Your Kids

When writing letters from Santa Claus to your kids, there are a few things to include to make them seem authentic. Kids love getting reply letters from Santa, whether they arrive in the mail or mysteriously appear in the house just before Christmas day.

• Hide that handwriting! Every kid knows that Santa writes by hand, so it's best to avoid letters printed on the computer. Have a friend or a relative copy your letters from Santa. Kids can spot your handwriting much sooner than you may realize.
• Add some North Pole details. Picture yourself as Santa taking a break from a busy day at work to answer your child's letter. Santa should talk about what he is doing to get ready for the upcoming holidays, including making a list and checking it twice, feeding his reindeer, polishing his sleigh and working with the elves. Talk about other things going on at the North Pole, such as what Mrs. Claus is doing. Mrs. Claus could be making all of the elves cookies and pouring glasses of milk because the elves have been busy working on Santa's big list of all the good boys and girls.
• Make it personal. Be sure to address your child by name. Santa should say that he heard your child was being pretty good (or very good) this year, and he looking forward to visiting your home. Include the name of your town or city. Take this opportunity to praise your child for an accomplishment, either good grades, helping around the house performing well in a sporting event, playing nicely with other children or listening to a teacher. Tell the child that there is "something special" on the list this year because he or she has been so good. 
• Include details of family events. If there are new circumstances in the home, add in a paragraph regarding the change that has taken place and talk about how much help the child has been. New circumstances can be a new baby, a new puppy, or even just helping mom and dad with a large project around the house. If the child has suffered a loss during the past year, Santa should offer some simple words of encouragement. Kids will sometimes tell Santa things that they're reluctant to share with their parents, such as their feelings about a death or a divorce. Letters from Santa offer an opportunity to recognize your child's feelings and offer a bit of guidance.

You can close the letter from Santa Claus with a request that the child leave some carrots and a bowl of water for his reindeer and some cookies and milk for Santa, because they all get hungry delivering so many toys to so many good kids around the world.