Talking Tables' Senior social media manager, Beth (AKA Santa), talks about her love of receiving, reading and replying to every single letter to Santa we receive at Talking Tables HQ.

For me Christmas starts when the pink Santa letters start being delivered to my desk by Talking Tables elves. Being ‘Santa’ is probably my favourite task throughout the entire year. There is nothing more wholesome and heart-warming than opening the letters that have carefully been written out by lots of excited little hands, and reading what they are asking Santa for this year. I’m amazed at how polite and articulate most of the letters are with lots of please and thank yous, and have also learnt a lot about what toys are cool with the kids each year. It’s lovely to see that a lot of classic items from my own childhood are mentioned such as train sets, princess dress up and dolls houses. I love sharing funny or sweet letters with the rest of the team.

My favourite Santa letter ever actually came from one of the parents, who asked for his own Mrs Claus. Santa wrote back to him with some festive dating advice!

Each reply letter from Santa’s workshop is addressed by hand, and I take care to give siblings different responses. I add in a sprinkling of festive scatter into each envelope so that the children feel some magic when opening their reply, and off they go. 

The Letter to Santa kit is absolutely my favourite product we do at Talking Tables, and I hope this special Christmas tradition continues always!

Did you know that Santa letters originated as letters that children received, rather than sent, with parents using them as tools to encourage their children to behave. For example, Fanny Longfellow, who was the wife of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, wrote letters to her children detailing their actions over the previous year. she wrote “I am sorry I sometimes hear you are not so kind to your little brother as I wish you were” to her son Charley on Christmas Eve 1851. The tradition shifted as gifts took on a more central role in the holiday, and the letters morphed into Christmas wish lists. read more about the origins of letters to Santa, and Santa in general here.