🎁 Letter to Joulupukki 2025–2026: where to write, how to format it and when to expect a reply

Winter scene: a letter from the Arctic Circle

On the table is a piece of paper with drawings of pine cones, a mug of cocoa and a wish list that contains more hopes than items. This letter will go to Rovaniemi, at the very edge of the Arctic Circle, where Santa Claus' Main Post Office — the official post office of Joulupukki — operates year-round. There, it will be opened by "postal elves," stamped with the famous Arctic Circle postmark, and sent onward — to the memory of this Christmas.

How Joulupukki's post office works: free letter vs. paid reply

● Anyone can write to Joulupukki for free: a letter with your return address is sent to the official address of Joulupukki's Post Office in Rovaniemi. The elves receive hundreds of thousands of letters every year (at peak times, tens of thousands a day). Due to the volume of correspondence, a reply is not guaranteed. This is classic "letter magic" with no obligations.

● A guaranteed reply is the product "Letter from Santa" (an official service of Posti and Santa Claus Office partners). The order is placed online, and the letter arrives before Christmas if ordered before 11 December. If ordered later, it is sent at the beginning of the year with a special Arctic Circle postmark. This is a way to get a "promised reply," including as a gift for relatives abroad.

In short: if you want a real letter-writing experience, send it for free to Santa Claus' Main Post Office; if you want a guaranteed reply by a certain date, order a "Letter from Santa" from official partners.

Deadlines and deadlines 2025–2026 (Finland Post)

● For a registered reply ("Aito kirje Joulupukilta / Letter from Santa" from Posti partners): submit by 11 December 2025 to ensure the letter arrives by Christmas. Orders placed after this date will be sent at the beginning of 2026 and will bear a special Arctic Circle stamp. The same logic will apply in the 2026 season.

● For regular letters/postcards (from Finland to loved ones or Joulupukki): refer to Posti's annual "Last mailing dates for Christmas" page (published in autumn/November). There you will find deadlines for domestic and international destinations (Economy/Priority).

How much does it cost: letter rates and "Letter from Santa"

● Posti rates (from 27 May 2025):
— Within Finland, letter/card ≤ 50 g: €2.75.
— International letters (sent from Finland), Priority ≤ 20 g: €3.05.
— Special Christmas stamp for postcards: €1.70.

● "Letter from Santa / Kirje Joulupukilta" (official product):
— Price at the Santa Claus Office: €12.00, no tracking, available in 18+ languages (including Finnish, Swedish, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, etc.).

Important: "Letter from Santa" — guaranteed response and souvenir. Regular letter to Joulupukki — no guarantee of response (ephemera of tradition).

If you are in Lapland: how to send a letter with an Arctic postmark

Visit Santa Claus' Main Post Office in Santa Claus Village (address: Tähtikuja 1, 96930 Arctic Circle). Inside, there are two official post boxes: yellow for "immediate" delivery and red for "Christmas" (delayed delivery). Any postcards and letters sent from here receive an official Arctic special postmark. You can get there from the centre of Rovaniemi by bus No. 8.

Practical tips and life hacks: language, envelope, tracking, response times

● What language should you write in? The one that is most familiar to the child: Finnish/Swedish/English are the classics. For a guaranteed reply with a ready-made text, you can order a "Letter from Santa" in 18+ languages (see the list at the Santa Claus Office).

● Do you need tracking? A regular letter from Joulupukki is sent without tracking. The "Letter from Santa" product also does not have a tracking number (it is a souvenir delivery).

● When will the reply arrive? If ordered before 11 December 2025, it will arrive by Christmas; orders placed later will arrive in early 2026 with a special postmark. Free letters may not receive a reply.

● Stamps and weight: Within Finland — €2.75 (≤ 50 g). When sending from Finland abroad — Priority 20 g: €3.05; rates are regularly updated on the Posti website.

● What to include? A drawing, a wish list, a couple of sentences about how the year went. Write your return address clearly — children like to receive "real" mail.

Beginner's mistakes and how to avoid them

1. Writing without a return address. Then neither a paid nor a possible free reply will find you.
2. Mixing up the address. Use the format "Tähtikuja 1, 96930 Arctic Circle, FINLAND". This is the official address of Joulupukki's Post Office.
3. Being late with your order for "Letters from Santa". After 11 December, delivery will be at the beginning of the year. Plan ahead.
4. Expecting tracking. Neither regular letters nor "Letters from Santa" have tracking numbers.
5. Think that a free letter is guaranteed to receive a reply. It's a tradition, yes, but there are no guarantees. The volume of correspondence is enormous.

There is something touching about an envelope that travels halfway around the world to the Arctic Circle and returns home to the postbox in the January twilight. A letter to Joulupukki is a small agreement about a miracle, in which the paper and stamp are no less important than the dream.

If you found this guide useful, share it with your friends and family: perhaps your link will help make someone else's December a little warmer. Write comments — tell us what text you included for your child, what language you used, and when you received a reply. We update the material as new dates and details are released on the Posti and Santa Claus' Main Post Office websites to ensure that your Christmas mail finds its way.