Fortunately, I knew just what I wanted to say to my son about the legend of Santa Claus.

I told him that Santa was a real man who lived in the fourth century and was known for his kindness and generosity, especially to children. Nicholas was such a good person that he has inspired millions of people for thousands of years to continue bringing joy to children. How many other people in history have had such an impact?

I told my son that he’s now part of the secret society of people who safeguard Santa’s secret and are charged with continuing his legacy. He was excited to become part of this “adult” group, and now wants to make sure his little sister continues to believe in Santa as long as possible.

I’m sad to see this chapter of my son’s childhood coming to an end, but I’m glad he understands and magic that Santa inspires and is anxious to keep it alive for his sister.

(Please visit HubPages for more thoughts on how to tell your child about Santa Claus.)

Santa Letters
Personalized letters from Santa are a great way to keep your kids believing in Santa Claus. Many people think you need to purchase an expensive letter from a company specializing in this service if you’d like to share a Santa letter with your child. But you can save money – and still get a professional-looking letter – by creating your own personalized Santa letter at home. You can buy professional-quality printable Santa letter templates right here at Christmas Letter Tips for less than $5. These templates are saved as Microsoft Word documents, so you can use them for all the kids in your family and again in coming years.

Getting a personalized letter from Santa can definitely keep your child believing in Santa Claus, but the letter is even more effective when you add an official North Pole postmark. The US postal service in North Pole, Alaska, offers this free service every year. To get the North Pole postmark on your child’s letter, simply place your child’s Santa letter in a stamped envelope addressed to him or her and put THAT envelope inside another envelope. Then send them both to: North Pole Christmas Cancellation, Postmaster, 4141 Postmark Drive, Anchorage, AK 99530-99998. The post office will open the outer envelope, stamp the inner envelope with the North Pole postmark and send it back to your child. (Don’t forget the postage on the inner envelope!)

“I Caught Santa” Photos in Your Home
Another great way to keep your child believing in Santa Claus is to “catch” Santa delivering gifts on Christmas Eve. How do you do that? It’s easy with a service such as Capture The Magic. At Capture the Magic, you simply upload a photo of your living room, family room, or any other location, and then follow the simple process to place an image of Santa in your photo. In minutes, you’ll have a great-looking photo of Santa right in your own home! Your kids – and other family members, too – will be amazed.

Santa Videos
There are now a few different websites that help you create personalized videos in which Santa says your child’s name and/or shows a photo of him or her. Some of these services are free, while others charge a small fee. Disney offers a free video in which Santa checks to see if your child is on the Nice List and then shows his or her photo (which you have to upload, of course.) Portable North Pole.Tv is another one. Both of these are only available during the holiday season (November and December).

Tracking Santa
On Christmas Eve, you can track Santa Claus online with your child. NORAD Tracks Santa is a website operated by none other than the North American Aerospace Defense Command. Yes, the military. NORAD is a bi-national United States and Canadian organization charged with the missions of aerospace warning, aerospace control and maritime warning for North America. And since Santa flies through North American airspace on Christmas Eve, the military tracks his movements and reports on his whereabouts so children all over the world can know Santa will soon be at their home. This website opens each year on December 1.

With these high-tech options, you can help keep your child’s belief in Santa alive just a little longer. Eventually he or she will learn that Santa is a wonderful childhood fantasy, but until then, you can share these magical moments with your child.

You'd think that it would be easy to spot a big, fat guy in a bright red suit with clunky boots, but he somehow manages to sneak in and out of houses with the stealth of a ninja. He has evaded capture for centuries. Until now. Now you WILL be able to capture Santa when he comes to your house this year.

I have two kids and have personally tried this method to be sure it works. I didn’t actually practice skeet shooting in step 4, so perhaps my hand/eye coordination wasn’t as quick as it should have been, but I have tried the other steps and am proficient at the most important one, which is step #5. If you follow these steps in order, you are sure not to disappoint your kids.

1. Wear warm clothes. To catch Santa in the act, you’ll need to be outside so you can spot him as soon as his sleigh nears your neighborhood. So be sure to don a nice warm hat, jacket and boots because you never know what time Santa will arrive in your area. It could be a long night.

2. Set your camera to the fastest shutter speed possible. Because Santa has to make it all around the world in a single night, the guy drives a supercharged sleigh that is faster than any known technology, so you’ll need to be quick to catch him. If you don’t have a camera with a shutter speed of at least 1/3200 of a second, well, you better borrow one from your neighbor.

3. Grab a snack so you don’t get hungry. It’s going to be cold outside, so you better grab some tasty cookies and a Thermos of warm cocoa to keep you company. Make sure you have plenty of extras so you can share when Santa arrives. And grab a few carrots, too. The reindeer like them.

4. Be patient and watch the skies. The secret to catching Santa is patience and a good eye. You may want to practice some skeet shooting before attempting to capture Santa, as this will improve your hand/eye coordination and make it more likely you’ll be able to aim and focus your camera in time. But don’t practice skeet shooting on Christmas Eve when Santa is flying!! You wouldn’t want to accidentally knock him out with one of those clay pigeons.

5. Cheat. Now that you’ve spent all night watching the skies without any sign of Santa (I TOLD you he was quick), you’ll have to admit defeat and resort to a fun service called Capture the Magic to prove to your children that you were actually able to get a photo of him at your home. They can get you the photo you need. Many parents have resorted to the same techniques so they wouldn’t disappoint their children. After all, that’s what we parents do – we go out of our way to make our kids happy, even if we can’t really catch Santa.

Reprinted with permission from How to Catch Santa at Home on Squidoo.

If you need Christmas stationery, check out Zazzle for letterhead, cards, and other gifts. You might also like our printable Santa letter templates, such as the one shown here.

Dear [NAME],
Ho! Ho! Ho! It’s almost Christmas, and I’ve been making my list and checking it twice to see which little boys and girls have been naughty and which have been nice. I’m very happy to see that you’re on my list of nice [AGE]-year-old [GIRLS or BOYS].
I can’t believe you’re already so big that you’re in kindergarten this year! Your [PARENT OR OTHER PERSON] told me that you’re doing well in [TEACHER NAME’s] class. I hope you’re enjoying school and paying attention to your teacher. Education is very important.
The elves have been busy making lots of toys this year and they told me that you want a [TOY] for Christmas. I’ll do my best. My favorite part of Christmas is delivering toys to good children like you, and I always try to bring something you’ll like. But remember that the best part of Christmas is spending time with the people who love you. Toys are just an extra treat.

The reindeer are really looking forward to visiting [YOUR CITY] again this year. Don’t forget to leave out some carrots for them!

Love,

Two Santa’s Nice List Certificates to Choose From!

$4.99 for unlimited personal, noncommercial use.
After clicking Buy Now, please allow a few seconds for the PayPal checkout page to load.
Requires MS Word 97 or newer

$4.99 for unlimited personal, noncommercial use.
After clicking Buy Now, please allow a few seconds for the PayPal checkout page to load.
Requires MS Word 97 or newer

These professionally designed certificates will keep the magic of Santa alive for your kids – and also serve as a reminder for them to always be on their best behavior! Both designs are signed by Santa himself and are sealed with an official Santa Claus seal.

You can personalize and print these certificates out at home. Purchase separately or pair them with one of our printable Santa letters for a package sure to delight your child.

The Nice List certificates are saved as Microsoft Word documents, so all you have to do is open the file, highlight the text that says “Your child’s name here” and replace that with your child’s name. And because it’s a Word file, you can also change the size of your child’s name, the font face, or the color, if you wish.

NOTE: You will need MS Word 97 or newer to open the Nice List file. It will NOT work with Microsoft Works. If you don’t have Word, you can download a free trial of MS Office from the Microsoft site. Look for the Try It Free! text link under the Buy Now button.

Buy a single certificate at one low price and use it for all the kids in your family! The document is yours for unlimited personal, noncommercial use. By purchasing one of these certificates, you agree to use it for your personal use only and not to resell it.

Keep Santa’s magic alive with a Santa’s Nice List certificate. Order one today for the good children in your life!

For personal use only. By downloading this document, you are agreeing to use it for your personal, noncommercial use only. No resale allowed.

$4.99 for unlimited personal, noncommercial use.
After clicking Buy Now, please allow a few seconds for the PayPal checkout page to load.
NOTE: You will need Microsoft Word 97 or newer to open and edit these files.

Great when paired with a Santa’s Nice List certificate, as shown below.

$7.99	$7.99

To purchase, simply click the Buy button above or one of the links below to go to a secure PayPal page where you can buy one of these Santa letter templates for just $4.99 using either a credit card or your PayPal account. The PayPal page will open in a new window. You need to turn off your pop-up blocker for it to work.

Printable Santa Letters – Gifts Design

Buy General Santa Letter with Customized P.S.

Buy New Sibling Santa Letter

Buy First Year in Kindergarten Santa Letter

Buy Response to Child’s Letter to Santa

Buy Baby’s First Christmas Santa Letter

In this printable Santa letter template, Santa is surrounded by gifts. The jolly old elf is waving from snow-covered hills while snowflakes fall around him. This Santa letter template is available as an MS Word document so you can personalize your child’s name, hometown, age, etc. We offer an all-purpose Santa letters to print at home with this design, as well as personalized letters aimed at children who have just started kindergarten, recently had a new addition to the family, or are awaiting a response to the letter they sent to Santa Claus. There is also a special Baby’s First Christmas Santa letter. (The text in this image is from the kindergarten letter.)

Why Choose Our Printable Santa Letters?
- Pay Only Once! When you buy one of our Santa letter templates, you’ll receive a Word document that you can edit and use for multiple children or use again in successive years. You can use it over and over for your own personal, noncommercial letters.

- Easy to Use. Your printable Santa letter will be delivered in a Microsoft Word format, so it’s easy to edit and customize. All you need is Microsoft Word 97 or newer (compatible up to Word 2007).

- Immediate Delivery. There’s no need to wait and worry about your letter arriving on time. As soon as your secure order is processed, you’ll get an email with a link to download your printable Santa letter, and you can customize and print it immediately – even if it’s the middle of the night or Christmas morning!

For personal use only. By downloading this document, you are agreeing to use it for your personal, noncommercial use only. No resale allowed.

Image © Anna Grzybowska

$4.99 for unlimited personal, noncommercial use. NOT FOR RESALE.

NOTE: You will need Microsoft Word 97 or newer to open and edit these files. Great when paired with a Santa’s Nice List certificate, as shown below.

$7.99	$7.99

Clicking the Buy Now button or one of the links below will take you to a secure PayPal page where you can use a credit card or your PayPal account to purchase one of these printable Santa letters for just $4.99 for unlimited personal, noncommercial use. You do not need a PayPal account to use the PayPal checkout. But the PayPal page will open in a new window, so you will need to turn off your pop-up blocker to make a purchase.

Printable Santa Letters – Sleigh Design

Buy New Sibling Santa Letter

Buy First Year in Kindergarten Santa Letter

Buy Response to Child’s Letter to Santa

Buy Baby’s First Christmas Santa Letter

Why Choose Our Printable Santa Letters?
- Pay Only Once! When you buy one of our Santa letter templates, you’ll receive a Word document that you can edit and use for multiple children or use again in successive years. You can use it over and over for your own personal, noncommerical letters.

- Easy to Use. Your printable Santa letter will be delivered in a Microsoft Word format, so it’s easy to edit and customize. All you need is Microsoft Word 97 or newer (compatible up to Word 2007).

- Immediate Delivery. There’s no need to wait and worry about your letter arriving on time. As soon as your secure order is processed, you’ll get an email with a link to download your printable Santa letter, and you can customize and print it immediately – even if it’s the middle of the night or at the last minute on Christmas morning!

For personal use only. By downloading this document, you are agreeing to use it for your personal, noncommercial use only. No resale allowed.

More sample letters at Santa Letters to Print.com.

Image copyright © Alexey Bannykh Dreamstime

Two people, political cartoonist Thomas Nast and author Celement C. Moore, can largely take credit for popularizing today’s image of Santa as a jolly, rotund fellow who wears a fur-trimed red suit. But the evolution from Saint Nicholas to the image of today’s Santa occurred over a long period.

The Life of Saint Nicholas

Saint Nicholas was born around 270 AD in what is now Turkey. His parents were wealthy, devout Christians who died when he was little. Following Jesus’ advice to give to the poor, Nicholas gave away his entire inheritance to the poor and needy. He became the Bishop of Myra while still a young man, and continued to help those in need, particularly children.

Nicholas was known for his generosity. The most popular legend about St. Nicholas tells of a poor man who had three daughters but couldn’t afford a dowry for them. This meant that they would remain unmarried and probably, in the absence of any other possible employment, would have to become prostitutes. Nicholas decided to help the man by going to his house at night and throwing three purses (one for each daughter) filled with gold coins through the window. Another version of the story has him throwing the coins down the chimney, which explains the connection to Santa’s preference for entering homes via the chimney.

The legend of this generous saint was brought to the New World by Dutch settlers, and the name Santa Claus would evolve from the Dutch nickname, Sinter Klaas, a shortened form of Sint Nikolaas. The saint became a part of local lore when John Pintard founded the New York Historical Society in 1804 and made St. Nicholas the patron saint of the society and New York City.

St. Nick received another boost a few years later when Washington Irving joined the society and published a work called Knickerbocker’s History of New York on Saint Nicholas Day. The work contained numerous references to a jolly St. Nicholas character.

“The Night Before Christmas”

But it was Clement Clarke Moore’s poem, “A Visit from Saint Nicholas,” (now better known as “The Night Before Christmas”) that cemented Saint Nicholas’ image as “a jolly old elf” with a “little round belly, that shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly.” Moore reportedly wrote the poem for his family in 1822. It was first printed in a newspaper a year later, and it then became popular and was reprinted anonymously in a number of publications.

Political cartoonist Thomas Nast helped popularize the image Moore created in the famous poem. In 1863 Nast began drawing a series of annual cartoons for Harper’s Weekly that were based on the character in the poem and in Washington Irving’s work. Nash’s Santa has a beard, fur clothing, and a pipe, and was the basis for many Santas to follow. He was also the one to invent the North Pole, elves and Mrs. Claus.

By the 1890s, the image of Santa in a red suit and hat was so common that the Salvation Army began dressing men in Santa Claus suits and sending them into the streets of New York to solicit donations for the Christmas meals for the needy. Later, artists such as Norman Rockwell and companies such as Coca-Cola continued to popularize the image of Santa Claus as a bearded fat fellow in a red suit in both artwork and advertising.

Santa Claus is now a common image of Christmas who still carries on the spirit of giving that Saint Nicholas started centuries ago.

Read more about Santa History: From Saint Nicholas to Santa Claus.

So now you have a choice – free printable Santa letters or professional, personalized Santa letters you can use year after year. You can also use our Santa sample letters to get ideas for creating your own letters that you can create and print on your own letterhead. Click an image below to get started and see available options for both our free Santa letters and premium Santa letter designs.

To open the free .pdf files, you will need Adobe Reader. To open the premium or free letters from Santa Claus, you’ll need Microsoft Word 97 or newer.