How to Make Money Writing Santa Letters

You can be Santa and reply to letters from children.

Santa letters -- letters from Santa to specific children, usually requested by parents -- can make a good source of writing income during the holidays. Many freelance writers and work-at-home moms write Santa letters as a way to earn extra income and spread holiday cheer.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Elegant or Christmas-theme paper
• Calligraphy pen

1. Advertise your letters from Santa business starting in early November. Make fliers to give to Christian schools and post one on your church bulletin board. Advertise online on Craigslist.

2. Team up with a non-profit organization and offer to give it a portion of your proceeds. You can then include its name in your advertisements to help your promote your business.

3. Set a price -- somewhere around $9 is typical -- and decide what features your letters will include. These might include references to the child's accomplishments that year written on candy cane-scented paper.

4. Create a brief questionnaire/order form for parents. Ask about the child's interests, age, family members, pets, favorite toys and any nickname to make your letter more personal. List your price and note any discount for multiple children in the same family.

5. Make several basic templates that can be adjusted for each child. For example, you might have a "good list" for things the child did well that year. You also might include a space for something for the child to accomplish in the year ahead. Julie Engelhardt, a freelancer in California who writers Santa letters, says specific requests from parents, such as being good for grandma, can help personalize the letter. She also includes Santa themes, such as referring to the elves and the workshop and including "ho, ho, ho" around the letter.

6. Send letters to the U.S. Postal Service in Fairbanks, Alaska, before December 15 to get a "North Pole Post Office" stamp affixed to the letters (see Resources).

Tips & Warnings

• Decorate your letters from Santa with white glitter for a snowy effect.

• Include paper snowflake confetti in the envelopes for fun.

• Seal the Santa Letters with red wax Christmas-themed stamped seals.

References

• Writer's Weekly; Make Money Writing Santa Letters; Julie Engelhardt; Nov. 26, 2008
• "Everything You Need to Know to Start a Santa Letter Writing Business"; Donna L. Turrelo; 2004

Resources

• U.S. Postal Service Fairbanks, Alaska