The Holidays are here! Both young and old are growing with anticipation and excitement… But how can you ensure that the jolly man with the white beard knows exactly which toys will bring the most joy this season? By writing to Santa in French! Never fear, EFBA is here to ensure your precious ones have a direct link to the North Pole, in French of course! We also have a few tips and tricks up our sleeves…

Writing a Letter to Santa Claus

This tradition first appeared in France, in the second half of the 20th century. Each year, over one million letters are sent to Santa from over 150 countries. Take this opportunity to partake in this fun tradition, and inspire excitement for literacy by encouraging your children to write to Père Noël in French! 

When writing the letter…Wise children will know to be kind and polite when addressing Santa, and not just beg for gifts. To ensure they are properly spoiled, children should tell Santa how good and well behaved they have been over the past year. Now’s the time to pull out the fancy stationery, and make a case for benevolency! 

In fact, writing to Santa in French is a perfect way to earn a few extra bonus points by showing true dedication! Children shouldn’t worry about making mistakes…at the North Pole, effort is recognized and rewarded. Errors make no difference to Père Noël, he is pleased to read ALL letters, especially from those who do their best when English may be easier for them. But if your child is truly concerned with their writing, offer to reread their work to assure their peace of mind.  

Now that they’re writing to Santa in French, help them finish their letter! Père Noël loves to hear about favorite hobbies, pets, friends, and anything that brings joy. When it’s finally time to mention their Christmas wish list, be sure your children note their favorite gifts. If the list is too long, Père Noël may have to make their own selections…

On the topic of gifts, children living outside of France have no reason to worry that their wishlist items won’t be available overseas. In fact, all letters, regardless of which language they are written in, are delivered to the North Pole, to Santa Claus’ village of Laponie. All the toys one could ever wish for are created daily by the best craftsmen available, the elves! 

Santa Claus welcomes all… Père Noël recognizes all cultures and countries, and their office will respond to letters in 39 languages, including Braille. Don’t let Père Noël down, encourage kids to make their best effort, and write to him in French! Children all around the world write to them each year, and receive the gifts they had been hoping for. 

EFBA tip: We’ve heard that Père Noël loves a bit of a personal touch…add some imaginative art to the letter and design away! Still looking for inspiration? Watch this video of Père Noël reading some letters from kids all around the world. 

Mailing The Letter to Santa Claus

Now that they have their beautiful letter, make sure it’s sent to the right address! Like every year, “La Poste de Libourne” has teamed up with Père Noël’s postal elves to spread Christmas cheer, allowing children to mail their Christmas letters. To ensure the arrival of letters from all countries “La Poste” has provided a list of official addresses below:

  • If you are writing from France please direct mail to the following address:

Le Père Noël

3, rue des enfants sages

Au pôle Nord

  • If you are writing from Canada please direct mail to the following address:

Le Père Noël

Pôle Nord HOH OHO

Canada

  • If you are writing from any other country please direct mail to the following address:

Le Père Noël

33500 Libourne

France

Before mailing, help your children pick out a charming stamp for their letter. Would you have guessed it? During the slow summer months Père Noël and MèreNoël enjoy stamp collecting together, and they will greatly appreciate receiving unique stamps from around the world. Kindly please mail all of your family’s letters in the same envelope to simplify the work for the postal elves in their busy season. 

When to send the letter? Santa’s office opens every year in mid-November, and closes in mid-December to ensure Santa and his team have enough time to reply to children. Don’t wait, send the letter today! The closer we get to Christmas, the busier it is at the North Pole.

EFBA tip: The North Pole is far away! It is essential to write the name of the child and their return address on the back of the letter. If he has time, you may get a response from the jolly man in red! 

Santa's Elves

Although both Canada, the U.S. and France include elves in their Christmas folklore, their origin stories are all slightly different. In Quebec, any footprints in the snow on Christmas Eve are blamed on the mischievous elves, who like to play tricks on sleeping inhabitants. It is said that their mission is to monitor children to see if they are behaving, before reporting back to Père Noël. French elves find their origins in Icelandic folklore, traditionally with elves such as “Lèchebol” and “Crocheviande”  that sneak into homes to snatch food and cause mayhem. Modern lore now describes sneaky yet benevolent elves who assist Père Noël in all his tasks, like in the U.S. No matter which traditions your family follows, rest assured that you are in good hands with the elves of Laponie, in the North Pole.

You can read an exclusive interview with one of the elves here.

After encouraging your children to finish their letter, reward and entertain them for writing to Santa in French with some classic Christmas movies such as “Le Père Noël et le magicien” or “On a volé les rennes du Père Noël”. Or, treat them to a special message from Père Noël himself. On Christmas Eve, you can delight your children by joining them in tracking Père Noël’s route. 

On behalf of the EFBA team, we wish a very merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all celebrating this year. We hope our families take time to rest and enjoy this special time together, and we will join you in the New Year for more French learning and exciting cultural discovery.

Cheerfully,

EFBA Team

 Save as PDF