In one season of letters from Santa, every one started the same way: a parent filling in a short form. What does your child want for Christmas? What is their favorite treat? Who is their best friend? And the one that made the letter theirs: what are you proud of them for this year?
That season we sent over a thousand letters from Santa. We went back through that season’s writing sheets, 1,054 letters in all, and counted. The names stay private, as they always have. Here is what parents told Santa.
What parents wanted Santa to praise
Of the 910 parents who filled in the “proud of” line:
- 30% mentioned school: grades, a good report card, being a good student in kindergarten.
- 15% mentioned kindness: helping, sharing, being a good friend.
- 7% mentioned reading. Another 7% mentioned listening and behaving.
- 7% mentioned a sport: soccer, dance, gymnastics, t-ball, swimming.
- 6% mentioned being a good big brother or sister.
- 3% mentioned potty training, and 3% mentioned learning to ride a bike.
- And about 1 in 70 mentioned being brave: through a hospital stay, a move, the first day at a new school.
A few, as parents wrote them (capitals tidied, no names): “learning how to ride a bike this year.” “Always being such a big helper.” “Getting student of the month again!” “Learning to control your temper.” “How great of a big brother you are.” “Brushing your teeth every day!”
A few parents did mention a trophy or an award. Far more asked Santa to notice effort, and a kid being decent to somebody else.
What they asked Santa for
Across 1,047 wish lists, LEGO came first (7%), then dolls (6%), a video game console (4%), Shopkins (4%) and a bike or scooter (4%). Frozen and Barbie each showed up in about 2%, tablets in 2%.
The hoverboard, that year’s most talked-about Christmas toy, appeared in fewer than 1 in 100 wish lists. Kids, it turns out, did not read the gift guides.
Age changed everything. Among letters where the parent gave an age: under six, dolls and Frozen led; six to eight, LEGO (11%) and Shopkins (8%); nine and up, video games (10%).
The treat Santa should know about
Cookies, by a mile: 32% of kids named a cookie as their favorite treat. Cake came second (13%), pie third (10%), ice cream fourth (9%). Milk came up 8 times out of 1,047. Santa drinks it anyway.
Which letter parents picked
That season there were four letters to choose from. 51% of parents picked the letter for big kids, 37% the one for little ones, 8% the letter for a child starting to doubt, and only 4% the naughty-list letter. Given the choice between Santa praising and Santa warning, 96 parents in 100 picked praise.
When belief starts to wobble
Where parents gave an age for the doubting letter, the middle age was 11, and nearly three in four of those children were between 9 and 13. It is older than you might guess, and it is exactly the age when a letter has to be good enough to survive a skeptic.
What we changed because of it
When we brought Santa Mailer back this year, we kept that last question. Every handwritten letter still asks for something your child did that deserves a mention, because that season it was the line that made each letter personal. If you want Santa to say it this year, the handwritten letter from Santa is where it goes. Or start with the free printed letter (free letter, $6.99 shipping).
How we counted
The numbers come from one season’s writing sheets: 1,054 letters. Each percentage is out of the letters where that field was filled in (910 for “proud of”, 1,047 for wishes and treats, 520 with an age). We grouped answers by keyword, so one answer can count twice (“reading and soccer” counts as both). No names, addresses or other personal details were used or published.
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