Make your Santa wish list
A Santa wishlist is not really a shopping list. It is a small letter that tells Santa who you are this year: what you are curious about, what you have been practising, and what you would love to unwrap on Christmas morning.
This page explains what makes a wishlist worth reading, how many wishes are a good number, and how to turn your list into a sealed letter that an elf carries all the way to Santa's office at the North Pole.
What belongs on a good Santa wishlist
The lists Santa remembers are short, specific and honest. Three to five wishes are plenty — a long list makes every wish smaller. Instead of writing "toys", write the one building set you keep thinking about, and say why.
- Something to make: art supplies, baking tools, a building set, a model kit.
- Something to read: a book series you started, a comic, a book of facts.
- Something to play: a board game for the whole family, an outdoor game, a puzzle.
- Something to move with: skates, a football, a sled, warm gloves for the snow.
- Something for someone else: a wish for a sibling, a friend, a pet or a grandparent.
How many wishes should you write?
A good rule is one wish for each finger on one hand, and at least one of them should not cost anything — more time together, a snow day, a visit, a bedtime story every night in December.
If you cannot choose, write the wishes down anywhere first, then read them out loud. The ones you still care about after saying them are the ones that belong in the letter.
Write it in your own words
Santa reads thousands of letters, and the ones that stand out sound like a person, not a catalogue. Tell him one true thing about your year before the wishes: the thing you got better at, the thing that was hard, the thing that made you laugh.
For younger children
Say the wishes out loud to a grown-up and let them type. Drawing the wish first often makes it much easier to describe.
For older children
Add a reason to each wish. "A telescope, because I want to find Orion from the balcony" is a far better wish than just "a telescope".
What happens after you send it
Your wishlist is folded into an envelope and sealed with wax. A slightly stressed elf grabs it and runs north through the snow, you help him find the right door at the North Pole village, and you hand the letter to Santa yourself. He reads your name and your wishes out loud.
Nothing is stored behind an account. If a grown-up wants to keep a copy, they can add an email address at the very end — that step is completely optional.
Questions families ask
- Is the Santa wishlist free?
- Yes. Making a wishlist and sending the letter is completely free, and no account or sign-up is needed.
- How many wishes should be on a Santa wishlist?
- Three to five is a good number. Short, specific wishes with a reason are easier for Santa to remember than a long list.
- Do I need an email address?
- No. An email address is only asked for at the very end, and only if a grown-up wants a copy of the letter. You can skip it.