It’s the most traditional method of contact and one of the earliest forms of getting in touch with the man in charge at the North Pole. Much of the world may have gone digital, but that doesn’t mean the North Pole has completely abandoned all acceptance of snail mail.

There may be many ways to get a hold of Santa electronically, but the most classic is certainly through a handwritten letter. In order to make the experience authentic, the United States Post Office created a process that allows children the opportunity to reach out to the big jolly elf and get a letter in response.

When a child wants to reach out to Santa, they should write their letter and seal it in an envelope addressed to: Santa Claus, North Pole; but don’t let them put it in the mail. Instead:

1. Open the envelope and read their letter
2. Write a “Santa Claus” response on the back of the original letter, referencing their wishes and accomplishments throughout the year
3. Seal the new letter in a new envelope and address it to his or her home address.
4. Put “Santa Claus, North Pole” as the return address and include a stamp on the envelope
5. Place this envelope into a larger one and address it to: North Pole Postmark Postmaster, 4141 Postmark Drive, Anchorage, AK 99530-9998

So long as the letter is received in Alaska by Dec. 15, the letter from “Santa” should be received in time for Christmas. The USPS also encourages sharing the letter from Santa via social media using #LettersFromSanta.

According to the Smithsonian website, In the earlier years of the 19^th century, letters were typically written “from” Santa Claus as an outlet for parents to discuss their child’s behavior throughout the year. As the image of Santa evolved, letters to the jolly elf started to filter through the United States Post Office only to be returned to their sender.

During the 20^th century, charities and philanthropy groups stepped in and worked with the Post Office to handle the incoming letters. By 1989, after initially struggling to get the USPS to agree to cooperate with the influx of letters, Santa had his own ZIP Code.