NSPCC letter from Santa alternative: where to get one this year

If you have always ordered the NSPCC's letter from Santa, you will have noticed something has changed. This year the charity's Santa's workshop has closed, and it has put a Kindness Kit in its place. You have not done anything wrong, and you have not missed anything: there are still several good ways to get a proper letter from Father Christmas onto the mat this year, some of them free, and this guide walks through each one.

What has happened to the NSPCC letter from Santa

The NSPCC's Letter from Santa has been a Christmas fixture for a lot of British families for years. This year, the charity's own page says Santa's workshop has closed, and the letter service is taking a break.

In its place, the NSPCC is offering something different: a Kindness Kit. From what the charity says, it includes a Christmas poem, baubles for a child to colour in and hang on the tree, six kind tasks to do in the run-up to Christmas, and a reward certificate at the end.

If that sounds like the right fit for your family this year, it is worth a look, and the NSPCC's own website has the current details and how to get one. We will not repeat anything beyond what is above, since the charity is the right place to check for anything that changes.

If what you actually want is a letter, in an envelope, that lands on the mat and says something to your own child by name, there are still good options, and we have set them out below.

Free ways to get a letter from Santa this year

Royal Mail runs its own Letters to Santa scheme. A child writes their letter, puts it in an envelope with a stamp, and writes their full name and address clearly on the back. Royal Mail says Santa tries to reply to as many letters as he can, though a reply is not guaranteed for every child. Braille, large-print and British Sign Language replies can also be arranged. Royal Mail's own website has the current address to write to and the details of how the scheme works this year, along with this year's Christmas dates for posting, so check there rather than relying on last year's address.

Writing the letter yourselves is the other free option, and it is a lovely one. A parent or grandparent writes as Father Christmas, in their own words, and posts it to the child from a different postbox so it arrives as if from the North Pole. It takes a little more thought than filling in a form, but the letter can say exactly what you want it to: something the child is proud of this year, a pet by name, a friend they have talked about, a kindness they showed. If you want help with the wording, our guide on what to write in a letter from Santa has ideas by age, with lines you can borrow.

What makes a letter from Santa feel special

Whatever route you choose, a few small things make the difference between a letter that gets glanced at and one that gets kept.

The child's name, used more than once, makes it feel personal rather than generic. A line about something only your family would know, a nickname, a pet, a house move, a wobbly tooth, does more work than any amount of North Pole scenery.

Handwriting or a good font that looks like handwriting helps, since children notice the difference between a proper letter and a photocopied one.

A seal, a stamp, or something that has to be opened carefully adds a bit of ceremony. Children remember the opening as much as the words inside.

Timing it so it arrives close to Christmas, rather than weeks early, keeps the magic for the day itself rather than spending it too soon.

The one thing none of these can do

A letter you write yourself, one posted through the NSPCC's old scheme in past years, or one from Royal Mail's Letters to Santa, all share the same limit: they are words on a page. A child reads them, or has them read to them, and that is where it stops.

A Letter from Santa from Tap-A-Post is written to suit your child's age, from a first Christmas through to the older ones who ask harder questions, and sealed with gold wax. When your child taps the seal with a phone, or scans the printed code if the tap is shy, they hear a recorded message from Father Christmas, and the page greets them by their first name. You can also add your own recorded message underneath, sealed until a date you choose, such as Christmas morning, while Father Christmas's message plays as soon as the letter is opened. If there is a second child at the same address, their letter comes in the same envelope, included.

It is not a replacement for writing your own letter, or for Royal Mail's scheme, if either of those is what your family wants this year. It is simply the one thing none of them can do: a voice, arriving with the words.

Common questions

Has the NSPCC stopped doing letters from Santa completely

For this year, yes: the charity's own page says Santa's workshop has closed and it is offering a Kindness Kit instead. Check the NSPCC's website for whether the letter service returns in future years, since that is the only place with current details.

Can Royal Mail still send a reply from Santa

Royal Mail runs a Letters to Santa scheme each year, and says Santa tries to reply to as many letters as he can, though not every child is guaranteed a reply. Check Royal Mail's website for this year's address and this year's Christmas dates before your child posts their letter.

Is it better to write the letter myself

Plenty of families prefer it, since you control exactly what it says and it can be as personal as you like. It takes a little more time than a ready-made scheme, but many parents find that is part of what makes it feel special.

Can a letter from Santa include a grandparent's voice as well

Yes, with a Letter from Santa from Tap-A-Post you can add your own recorded message underneath Father Christmas's, and choose when it unlocks, such as Christmas morning. That way the letter carries both his message and someone in the family's own voice.