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Personalised Santa video: Santa says your message, using your child’s name

Type a first name and two or three kind sentences, hear Santa read them, then make a 15-second video you can show on Christmas morning.

We only ask for a first name and a short message. No photos, ages or addresses. Messages with adult content, insults, links, phone numbers or addresses are declined, and a declined message costs no credits.

Only you can see this video. We keep it for 60 days.

Three examples of Santa reading a message

Made with names and messages we wrote for these examples. Every video you make is private to you.

What should the message say?

The message works best as two or three short, kind sentences that name one thing the child did and one thing to look forward to. The form accepts up to 30 words and 200 characters, because the video is 15 seconds long and Santa opens with the child’s name and closes with "Merry Christmas!" on his own.

A good message praises something specific, such as sharing toys, learning to ride a bike or being brave at the dentist. A weak message lists gifts, because Santa reads a list in a flat voice and the child hears nothing about themselves.

Write the way you would speak to the child, with short sentences and no abbreviations. The name is read as typed, so spell it the way it is said, and add a second spelling in brackets only if the name is unusual.

  • Good: "You helped your sister all year and you read to your grandpa. Keep being kind and I will see you on Christmas Eve."
  • Good: "I heard you were brave at swimming lessons. I am very proud of you. Be good for your parents."
  • Weak: "Bikes, a drone, a game console, a puppy and a tablet." A list of gifts has no sentence for Santa to say.
  • Not accepted: insults, adult content, links, phone numbers and addresses.

How long does it take, and what do I get?

You get one video of Santa, 15 seconds long, who says your message to the camera in a warm voice. It usually takes two to four minutes to make, and sometimes longer when many people order at once.

Hearing the voice is free and takes a few seconds, so you can change the wording before you spend anything. Making the video costs 120 credits, and the price is shown on the button before you press it.

If the video fails to render on our side, the credits go back to your balance automatically. A message that is declined before rendering does not use any credits either.

The finished video is a normal MP4 file that you can download, play on a phone or send privately to a relative.

How is a child’s name handled?

The form has two text fields, a first name and a short message, and nothing else. It has no photo upload, no age, no surname, no address and no e-mail field for the child.

Every message is checked before it is spoken, and messages with adult content, insults, links, phone numbers or addresses are declined.

The finished video is private to the account that made it. It is not added to any public gallery, community page or sample list, and it is deleted after 60 days.

Our analytics record the length of a message and the voice chosen, never the name or the words.

When should I order before Christmas?

Order at least a few days before the day you want to show the video, so there is time to hear the voice, fix a typo and make a second version if the first is not right.

Videos made in November are still available on Christmas Eve, because each one is kept for 60 days after it is made.

You can show the video on a phone or a TV on Christmas Eve or on the morning itself, and the file works offline once downloaded.

Personalised Santa video questions

Is this the real Santa?

No. It is an animated Santa character that we created, speaking in a synthetic voice, and the page never claims to be the real one. The video is made for fun, to be shown to a child by a parent or relative who tells them it comes from Santa.

What do you need to know about my child?

Only a first name, typed by you, and a short message, typed by you. The form has no field for a photo, an age, a surname, a school or an address, and we do not ask for them anywhere else on the page. If you would rather not use a real name, you can use a nickname.

How much does the personalised Santa video cost?

A video costs 120 credits, and the price is shown on the button before you press it. Hearing Santa read the message first is free. If you do not have credits yet, the credit packs and yearly plans on the pricing page show what a credit costs in dollars.

Can other people see the video I make?

No. The video is private to your account, it is not added to any public gallery, and nobody can find it by searching the site. It is kept for 60 days and then deleted, so download it if you want to keep it longer.

What happens if my message is declined?

You see a short note asking you to change the wording, and nothing is charged. Messages with adult content, insults, links, phone numbers or addresses are declined, and so are messages that are too long to be spoken in 15 seconds. Remove the part that was declined, or shorten it, and try again.

Can I make more than one video?

Yes, make one for each child, or one for every message, as many as you have credits for. Each video uses its own message and name and is priced the same. Hear the voice first to catch spelling and pronunciation, because each finished video is its own render.

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