Dear Santa ... 5 ways to send letters to the North Pole

Yes, there is a Santa Claus. The big question this holiday season is, what’s the best place to reach him?

Is Santa on Instagram? Does he want you to send your wish list via Snapchat or Facebook? E-mail?

And is there wiggle room in that naughty or nice policy?

Parents, if your kids are looking to connect with St. Nick before he loads up his sleigh on Christmas Eve, we’ve got options, but you might want to keep kids from reading on — you know, just because some of this stuff is bureaucratic and boring, wink wink:

Postmarked: North Pole

Want to send a letter to Santa and get one back with a postmark from the North Pole?

Here’s how it works: Have your child write a letter to Santa and put it in an envelope addressed to Santa Claus, North Pole.

Parents or caregivers give Santa Claus a helping hand by responding to the child’s letter and signing it “from Santa.” (We have it on good authority that Santa won’t mind, and he and the elves appreciate the help at this busy time of the year!)

Put the two letters into a self-addressed, stamped envelope with a return address that reads: Santa, North Pole. Then, put the envelope containing both letters inside a slightly larger stamped envelope addressed to:

North Pole Postmark Postmaster

4141 Postmark Drive

Anchorage, AK 99530-9998

Letters must be received no later than Dec. 15.

Santa’s team in Anchorage will put a North Pole postmark on your envelope and send it back.

Operation Santa

If a response would be nice but not required, stamped letters can be sent to:

Santa Claus,

North Pole,

Alaska

The letters will be sorted into the U.S. Postal Service’s annual “Letters to Santa” program — a tradition they have maintained for 105 years.

All letters will be read, although the USPS can’t promise that Santa will be able to respond to every one.

Don’t forget to include your return address, though! Postal elves may respond to the letter with a note signed by Santa, and some of the letters (adhering to strict privacy guidelines) may receive a response or even a granted wish thanks to volunteers and community organizations who help out St. Nick through the Operation Santa program.

Want to be an elf yourself? Contact your local post office to find out if there is a special letter or holiday wish you can fulfill.

Just believe!

For the 10th year in a row, Macy’s is inviting believers of all ages to write a letter to Santa and drop it in the big red letterbox at the nearest Macy’s department store — or go online and email the Big Guy at Macys.com/Believe.

For each letter collected in stores and online through Christmas Eve, Macy’s will donate $1 (up to $1 million) to the Make-A-Wish foundation, which grants wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions.

Email Santa direct

Yes, Santa does e-mail.

To send Santa an email, go online to ElfontheShelf.com/kids and click on the box that reads: Write Santa. The elves will respond to every email.

Turn it into an ornament

The Elf On the Shelf toy company is launching a kit this year that turns a child’s note to Santa into an Christmas tree ornament — with a little adult supervision required. The $24.95 kit (shop.elfontheshelf.com) includes Mrs. Claus’ “Magic Press.” You bake it in your oven — that where the supervision comes in. After Santa reads it, the note becomes a holiday keepsake.

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