Are you wondering how your kids can get a free letter from Santa Claus in the mail? We have Santa’s nice list of official North Pole Mailboxes where kids can send a letter to the big guy and receive a personal letter in return. (Most are free; some have a small fee or require stamps and return envelopes). What is better than the magic and delight of original letters from Santa in response to your kids’ letters. Such a great keepsake!
Minnesota Orchestra presents the FFTC Holiday Guide
Minnesota Orchestra concerts aren't just for grown-ups.
We've got performances that spark curiosity, wiggles, and wide-eyed wonder.
Enjoy a family-friendly film with the score played live-to-picture or a classical concert.
Younger children can enjoy family and sensory-friendly concerts with a parent or caregiver.
With discounted kids' tickets and free admission through Hall Pass, it's easy to bring the whole crew.
Get more details by clicking on the image above.
Where to Mail Your North Pole Santa Letters
Time for kids to pull out that dusty box of stationery from the grandparents and start writing. What better way to get on Santa’s good list than to send him a letter. Plus letter writing can be a great activity for the whole family to do together. Here is our list of Santa’s official mail receptacles. Most promise a return letter with the inclusion of a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
Chanhassen Rec Center
2310 Coulter Boulevard, Chanhassen, MN 55317
In 2025, Chanhassen’s Santa Mailbox moves temporarily to the city rec center. Kids can drop off a letter and City elves pass your letter on to Santa but this drop does not promise a return letter. Parents may want to get a peek at their kids’ letters before mailing so they can help Santa write a return letter.
City Center North Pole Mailbox
Minneapolis City Center, 33 South Sixth Street, Minneapolis, MN 55402
Kids can find an Official North Pole Mailbox under the big tree that goes up the week of Thanksgiving each year. Drop off letters to Santa for delivery to the North Pole: “Remember to include your child’s name and address so Santa can write you a letter back.” Pro Parenting Hint: If you secretly add a note for Santa with the name of your household Elf, Santa will try to mention him by name in the letter. Look for this mailbox the week after Thanksgiving. Verified for 2025.
Dakota City Heritage Village Post Office
Dakota City Heritage Village, 4008 220th Street W., Farmington, MN 55024
Mail your Santa letters at the post box outside the Post Office in the charming historic village. Be sure to include your self-addressed envelope with a first-class mail stamp so St. Nick can reply to your child’s letter. Time this with a visit to enjoy the holiday lights on December 6, 7, 13, & 14, 2025, from 3-8 pm.
Elk River Mailbox during Tree Lighting
Rivers Edge Commons, 679 Main St NW, Elk River, MN 55330
Drop your letter in Santa mailbox for letters to Santa during the annual Tree Lighting celebration. Note: If kids want to visit with Santa, they’ll need reservations. Thursday, November 20, 2025. 2pm-4:30pm, FREE.
Hanover Historical Society Mailbox
1010 River Road NE, Hanover MN 55341
The box is up from shortly after Thanksgiving through mid-December. Children can place their letter in the box and will receive a reply if they include a full name and address.
Plymouth Santa’s Mailbox
Plymouth City Hall, 3400 Plymouth Blvd., Plymouth, MN 55447
Plymouth Ice Center, 3650 Plymouth Blvd, Plymouth, MN 55447
Plymouth Community Center, 14800 34th Ave N, Plymouth, MN 55447
Hilde Performance Center, 3500 Plymouth Blvd, Plymouth, MN 55447
Drop off letters to Santa (along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope) at one of four locations and receive a personalized custom letter. Accepting letters from December 1-14, 2025 for Christmas delivery.
Rosemount Letter from Santa
Rosemount residents can fill out the provided form to get a personalized letter from Santa. $4/pp. Registration required by December 10, 2025.
Shoreview Letter from Santa
Registered kids can receive a letter from Santa addressed directly to them. $5/child. Sign up on the Shoreview Parks website. Register by December 10, 2025.
Wayzata Letters to Santa at Panoway
Panoway Plaza, 688 Lake St E, Wayzata, MN 55391
Stop by Panoway during the Light of the Lake festival, and send a letter to Santa. November 21, 2025.
USPS Letters from Santa
If your child wants a letter from Santa complete with North Pole postmark, follow these intructions from USPS. You may want to purchase some official Santa Claus stationery or just pick festive-colored paper.
- In this case, you will write Santa’s personalized response and tuck it into an envelope with the child’s letter.
- Address the envelope to your child with “Santa North Pole” in the return address, so they’ll see a real North Pole address on the return letter.
- Don’t forget a stamp.
- Then mail the whole Santa letter package in a bigger, stamped envelope addressed to:
NORTH POLE POSTMARK
POSTMASTER
4141 POSTMARK DR
ANCHORAGE AK 99530-9998
Note: Most of these opportunities are facilitated by local municipalities and are not used to collect email or mailing lists, but we encourage everyone to read the fine print when giving out emails and addresses.
Make Another Child’s Christmas Special with USPS Operation Santa
Bigger kids may enjoy helping Santa by responding to letters received through the USPS Operation Santa. Volunteers can read through letters to adopt a favorite or two, shop for and wrap gifts from Santa and ship a magical surprise to a special child through the USPS. Find all the details here.
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If you know of more organizations helping Santa to respond to good boys and girls (or naughty ones), leave us the info in the comments section and we’ll share with the community.
More Ways to Celebrate the Excitement of Christmas:
- Follow Santa’s Travel Map: Christmas in the Twin Cities: Planes, Trains & Sleighs
- Introduce your kids to the real live reindeer at Como Zoo (Don’t feel like going out, Como offers a reindeer cam in December)
- Find Age Appropriate Community Service Activities this Holiday Season
Yo Santa,
I’m the big middle aged kid on the block who does random cartoon chalk drawings at various parks. For Xmas, I wish that in 2025, that there would be no round up used on any playground in the twin cities area. I pray that they will no longer spray where the children play or where I draw cartoons with chalk on the side walk anywhere in the twin cities area please. I’ve done chalk cartoon drawings in over 150 parks in the twin cities area. I’d bike for miles to bring smiles to various citizens in the twin cities who saw me making art in the parks, and several of them thanked me for cheering them up with chalk cartoons. Sometimes, kids were inspired by me to make art and I gladly shared or let them use the chalk I had with me in some of the parks. People enjoyed my chalk art and I enjoyed making chalk art for them to enjoy, but sadly I have started to feel ill from too much exposure to all the pesticides sprayed in the parks and haven’t been able to do chalk drawings lately in anymore parks as a result. I wish I didn’t have to feel sick anymore from pesticides being used in the parks, so I could continue to make chalk drawings that used to bring cheer to so many of the citizens and children here in the twin cities who saw me doodling chalk cartoons at various parks in Maple Grove, Plymouth, Edina, Minneapolis, Robbinsdale, Golden Valley, New Hope, St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Brooklyn Center, Brookyln Park, Crystal, Eden Prairie, and Chaska. Santa, I know you can’t force the cities to stop spraying pesticides but perhaps your influence will help the cities decide not to spray pesticides anymore, so I can go outside to make art in the parks for people to enjoy without getting sick anymore. Thank you so much.
I hope Santa sees this, Adria!