A Letter From Santa for Baby’s First Christmas

A baby’s first Christmas has one guest of honor who will remember none of it. They will sleep through the tree, eat a corner of the wrapping paper and be passed around the living room like a very warm casserole. Everybody else will remember all of it.

That is exactly why a letter from Santa for baby’s first Christmas is worth sending. It is not really for this December. It is for the grown-ups reading it out loud this year, and for the kid who finds it in the baby book at five, and again at fifteen, and realizes somebody wrote to them before they could hold a pen.

Why write to someone who can’t read yet

Because a first-Christmas letter is not a letter. It is a time capsule with a North Pole return address.

This year it is for the family. Somebody reads it aloud on Christmas Eve, the baby grabs the envelope and tries to eat it, and the room laughs. That is a moment, and now there is a piece of paper that proves it happened.

Later it is for the kid. Photos show what a baby looked like. A letter says who was there, what they had just learned to do, and how loved they were before they could do anything at all.

What to put in a first-Christmas letter from Santa

Keep it short. Four or five sentences, one real detail, and the name. Writing it yourself? Steal two or three of these, not all nine. Having Santa’s desk write it? The order fields further down carry the same ideas.

The phrase bank

• Their name, early and often. “Dear Olivia, welcome to your very first Christmas.”
• The year. “This is Christmas 2026, and you are the newest name on my list.”
• A first they had this year. “The elves tell me you rolled over all by yourself in October. Mrs. Claus made me tell the reindeer.”
• Another first. “I heard about the first tooth. Excellent work. Carrots are next.”
• Who loves them. “You have a mom and dad who check on you every single night, a grandma who tells everyone about you, and a big brother who thinks you are hilarious.”
• What they are like right now. “The elves say you laugh at the dog every time. Good taste.”
• What Santa hopes for them. “I hope you grow up curious, brave and kind. You are off to a very good start.”
• A line for the future reader. “If you are reading this when you are older, know that I have been keeping an eye on you since the very beginning.”
• A sign-off that works at every age. “You’re on the Good List. You have been since the day you arrived.”

Leave out anything a teenager would be mortified to find in writing. The diaper incident on the plane is for the wedding speech.

Getting it written by Santa’s desk

We do not make a special “baby letter,” and we are not going to pretend we do. Here is how to make ours about a first Christmas anyway.

Order the handwritten letter from Santa and, under “Which letter should Santa write?”, pick Believer (under 6). Then the personal fields do the work:

• Child’s first name: the baby’s name, spelled the way it will be on their passport someday.
• Best friend’s first name: at this age, a best friend is whoever shows up most. A cousin, a grandparent, the dog. All valid.
• A toy they would really like: whatever they are currently chewing on. Santa respects commitment.
• You’re proud of them for: this is the first-Christmas line. The first laugh, the first tooth, rolling over, sitting up, one legendary night of sleep. Write the milestone, and Santa names it.

The Believer letter also reminds its reader to go to sleep early on Christmas Eve, because Santa only visits when you are sound asleep. It is the only advice in the letter every new parent will co-sign.

Every word is written by hand in red ink on cream parchment and mailed in a red 6×9 envelope, hand-addressed in white Christmas ink, with a North Pole return address, a real stamp and Santa’s embossed seal on the back flap. That envelope is half the keepsake. Keep it.

A note on the free printed letter: its order form starts at age 2 and the letters are written for ages 3 to 11, so it is not the one for a first-Christmas baby. It is a very good pick for the older brother or sister who is about to be upstaged.

How to keep it so it’s still there at 15

A letter kept in a kitchen drawer becomes a letter nobody can find. Pick a home for it on Christmas Day.

• The baby book. The obvious home, and a good one. Keep the envelope with it, flat, in a sleeve or pocket page, so the name and the North Pole address travel together.
• A frame. Hang it in the nursery for the first year, then move it to the book. Keep it out of direct sun, which fades ink.
• Sealed for later. Put the letter, its envelope and a photo from that Christmas into a larger envelope, write “Open on your 5th birthday” on the front, and put it somewhere boring and safe. At five they will read it themselves. At fifteen they will pretend not to care and read it twice.

One more habit worth starting: on the back of the envelope, in pencil, write the date and who was in the room when it was read. Future you will not remember. Future them will want to know.

For grandparents and godparents

This is a natural gift for the people who are not the parents. New parents are busy keeping a small person alive. They are not thinking about keepsakes in October. You are.

The baby needs nothing, and the parents already own every onesie on the continent. A letter outlives all of it.

Do the recon: ask the parents for the newest milestone, because the “proud of them for” line is the one everybody will quote. We wrote a whole guide on how to send your grandkids a letter from Santa, including how it ships to their address instead of yours.

Want to see what the letters actually say before you order? Here are our sample letters from Santa, word for word.

Questions

Is a baby too young for a letter from Santa?

Too young to read it, yes. Too young to have one, no. The letter is read aloud this year and read for real later. That is the point.

Is there a special first-Christmas letter?

No. Pick the Believer (under 6) letter and use the “You’re proud of them for” field for the milestone. That is what makes it about this Christmas.

What should a first-Christmas letter from Santa say?

Their name, the year, one first they had, who loves them and one hope for who they become. Four or five sentences. Anything longer is for the parents.

Can a grandparent or godparent order it?

Yes. Anyone can order it and send it to the baby’s home. Ask the parents for the details first so Santa gets the milestone right.

When should I order?

Early. The handwritten letter is $39.99 with shipping included, and orders placed by December 12 arrive before Christmas in the US or you get your money back.