Hard to believe, but it is only three months until Christmas. And for those like me who work in the land of creating made to order Christmas delights, that means it’s time for us to remind you that you need to get your Christmas Skates on if you are on the hunt for true treasures.

When I embarked on my Christmas business journey back in 2015 I was introduced to the cleverest of ladies, Ari, who lives up on the Central Coast of NSW. She makes the most gorgeous textiles, including a Christmas range of Santa Sacks and Stockings. This is coming to our 6th year of working together now. Ari’s textiles are all made by her in her home studio, she’s a perfectionist and a sucker for top quality environmentally friendly everything! Needless to say she spends all year planning and preparing for the crazy Christmas rush in order to meet the demand for her products.

This years range of Santa Sacks and Christmas Stockings is now live on my website. Anyone who has ordered these in the past knows two key things 1) they are absolute treasures 2) they sell out super quickly each year.

Have a browse through the collection, there’s so many options and choices to consider. Truly beautiful, handmade items that you you will love having on display in your home in the build up to that special Christmas Eve visit.

Are you a Cotton fan? Or are you more of a Linen Fan? So many beautiful options. Each design is highly personalised when you order it (which is why it takes weeks to get out to you). Oh and if there’s something you think you’d like but it’s not listed – ask away, we love those bespoke jobs!

Get yourself organised for December 25th now … 🙂

Below is a list of some of the most commonly asked questions, as well as the nitty gritty of how we do things (for those that like to know that level of detail). If there’s something that is not covered and you would like to know more, drop me a note!

Commonly asked questions:

How much does a personalised letter from Santa cost?

The cost of a special Letter sent from Santa is $12.95 per letter. There is a $2.30 P&P charge added at checkout per order (regardless of the number of letters)

For any orders of over 4 letters please contact me at [email protected] to chat about our your requirements – so I can be sure to make sure everyone gets something different & special.

Why should I buy from you?

I am a passionate believer myself, and so for every letter I make I take that passion and create something magical. I believe a letter from Santa should be full or wonder and amazement – nothing gimmicky or glitzy, just genuine childhood wonderment in a good old fashioned letter, that arrives in a good old fashioned way in your letter box (which is almost a novelty now). I’ve had so many customers tell me over the years that their children get their letters out and ask them to be read and re-read to them, they enjoy them so much.

All my letters are:

Beautifully designed and cleverly written with varied letter content so siblings receive different letters

Visually designed with a child in mind first, and then the adult. Full of fun colours, pics of Santa and of course lots to read! I like to think I’ve found the balance of what is visually appealing to kids, and too adults 🙂

My letters are different every year (of course) filled with tales from the North Pole and sprinkled with details about each child that only Santa would know. We always try to make sure there is at least one giggle per letter – Santa’s got a great sense  of humour and wonderful way with words.

I make an especially cute babies ‘First Christmas’ edition for all those children who are experiencing the delight of their first Christmas (they make the most special mementos or keepsakes to reflect back on over the years)

I offer the choice of whether the letter is from ‘Santa’ or a ‘Father Christmas’ – as you prefer

All letters arrive together in a white envelope address to the persons who placed the order. The white envelope is marked “Normal Mail” and looks all together very boring (intentionally!). Inside you will find the letter/s you ordered address to the recipient, sealed and ready for posting in your letter box close to Christmas, when you think the time is right!

My site utilises 256 bit SSL encryption through Paypal –  as safe as they come – and all your data is stored safely and privately as per my policy.

How do I place an order?

Ordering is easy. Simply complete the online order form. Be sure to check all of the information you enter is correct, as it will appear as you have entered it (spelling mistakes and all)!

Secure payments can be made using you Credit or Debit Card (via Paypal).

How do I personalise my child’s letter from Santa?

During the order process, you’ll be asked some questions about your child. These answers will tell us things only you and Santa would know. We then customise your child’s letter based on the information you provide us with.

Do you offer a Santa letter for newborns?

We sure do, we offer a special, extremely cute, letter that has been written just for newborns – Baby’s First Christmas. You can choose this letter during the ordering process. It’s one of my favourite letters actually!

Postage details

All letters will have an additional $2.30 postage and packaging fee added at the checkout this year. We are posting our letters ahead of Christmas this year so that we can avoid postal delays. Note this charge is per order, not per letter.

Letters will have a special NEW “North Pole” stamp attached to them this year – super cute and totally authentic 🙂

I have more than 1 child, will they receive the same letter from Santa?

Nope, they’ll each get a letter that is different and then sprinkled with their own special details. Each letter has totally different news from the North Pole – I wouldn’t have it any other way! You can also choose from 3 of my beautiful designs for your letters. These are water colour paintings especially created for me and Love From Santa. Each child (up to 3 children) will automatically be sent a different letter so long as they are ordered on the same order form.

If you have more than 4 children please contact me so I can be sure to send them all different letters – as best we can!

How do I make changes to my order?

Once your order has been submitted, you have 24 hours to make any changes after this if you need to make changes to your order, there will be a $5.50 change fee incurred.

Please contact us immediately so we can make the changes you require.

(Note: It is important that you contact us within 24 hours of placing your order to make any necessary changes.)

When will we receive our letter/s?

We are NOT sending the letters like we normally do this year – you will receive them sent address to the person who ordered them in a big white, plain looking envelope.

Santa letters will be written and despatched as they are ordered – we are hoping to work to a two week turnaround time.

Please, please do let us know if you are worried that your letter has been lost – or just hasn’t turned up, the more notice I get with this, the easier it is for me to solve and avoid Christmas disappointment

We are still heavily reliant on the snail mail postal system, so please have patience with us and then Posties esp in a Pandemic 🙂

*Note that for destinations outside of Australia we will endeavour to stick to these timings as best we can, however please understand that we have even less control over local posties around the world

How do I know if my order went through?

Once you’ve completed the ordering process, you’ll receive a confirmation email with order details. Paypal will also send you a confirmation email which contains your order details, along with your transaction number and receipt. The receipt will reference our business name, Love From Santa. PLEASE remember to pay, if you don’t pay, your order will not be processed as we have not recognised it as a finalised order.

Be sure to add the @lovefromsanta.com.au domain to your SAFE SENDERS list in your email software! This will ensure you receive important emails regarding your order.

Do you send Santa letters to countries other than Australia and New Zealand?

This is a commonly asked question. We sure do! International orders will close much earlier this year though. ALL orders going outside of Australia will leave Australia no later than 16th of November – so please ensure you place your order as early as possible to ensure your letter arrives on time.

If you would like to order letters for destinations other than Australia, it is important that you place a seperate order for these letters (1 order per destination only). Please include letters travelling to the same country within 1 order.

2020 letter ordering deadlines

Orders for letter will open earlier, and close earlier this year due to the Pandemic and how we anticipate it to continue affecting the postal services.

Make sure that you place your order by the deadlines below to ensure your letter arrives in plenty of time!

Letter Destination	Order Deadline
Australia	1st December (posted by 7th Dec)
New Zealand	9th November (posted by 16th Nov)
UK, US & Canada	9th November (posted by 16th Nov)
Rest of the World	9th November (posted by 16th Nov)

Why didn’t I receive my email confirmation?

If you did not get the confirmation page at the end of the ordering process, the email receipt may have been sent to your ‘SPAM’ folder. If you have any concerns or questions with your order, simply contact us. I will get back to you in a jiffy.

Be sure to add the @lovefromsanta.com.au domain to your SAFE SENDERS list in your email software! This will ensure you receive important emails regarding your order.

Can I receive a discount if I order more than 1 letter?

The cost of a Santa letter is $12.95 per letter. I am a small business doing it mostly for the love of it. For any orders of over 10 letters please contact me at [email protected].

Do you have any other Christmas inspiration?

We sure do! Loads of it. We LOVE Christmas. Check out our blogs posts, our instagram and FB pages – so many ideas in there!

General

How secure is my Credit Card payment online?
Extremely. We use the Paypal processing system to ensure your security.

What forms of payment do you accept?
You can pay with a credit card (Visa or Mastercard) or via your Paypal account. All payments are processed securely using Paypal.

What currency will I be charged it?
All prices are listed in Australian Dollars. We reserve the right to change prices at our discretion.

What will my credit card statement show?
Your statement will show your purchase as being from “Love From Santa”.

How do you use my contact information?
We treat our customer’s information with absolute respect and confidentiality. We will only use your information in relation to fulfilling your Love From Santa order and will never share or sell this information to a third party. You can read our Privacy Policy here.

If there’s another Q&A you think I should add to my commonly asked questions list please let me know!

That is my key advice. Christmas in a pandemic will be a Christmas like none of us have every experienced before. But I am hopeful it will bring with it’s special Christmas touch, no matter the new circumstances we are all under.

The last minute madness that is normal Christmas behaviour might have to be re-thought however. For all of us online orderers, we need to get ahead of the game. The postal systems are sluggish at Christmas in a good year, and those of us working in the online retail space know it’s going be really challenged this year. So let’s not waste a previous minute deliberating our choices, make your orders, tick off the lists and get organised for Christmas 2020 early this year.

My Santa Sacks and Christmas Stockings are open for business. It’s this time every year when I look through them all, and just sigh in awe at the cool-ness of them all. So beautifully made, so strong, the perfect size, and just so Christmas! I am so lucky to sell this beautiful collection that the clever Ari makes every year (she’s based about an hour from me on the beautiful central coast of NSW). BUT this year more than ever you need to get your orders in and get organised for Christmas early, we don’t have the luxury of time at all this year.

Have a browse through the collection on my website, and follow my on Instagram to get updates regarding stock levels and cut off dates (you might also find some Christmas ideas and inspiration you like too).

Get your Christmas game on now 🙂

This is a link to the 2020 order form, for approved people to use only … if you are not sure if you are an approved person, please ask me. I don’t want to sell you a product I can’t provide 🙂

Letter ordered on this link will be posted with express post on Friday 4th of Dec – to Australian addresses (only). The mail will arrive wc 7th of December, and will be trackable.

This is the BEST Christmas Craft to do with your kids

This is such a fun and easy thing to do with your kids. Thank you @anneke_hau for this wonderful recipe and inspiration!

I made this with my kids a few weeks ago, and the only thing I would add is that it took a bit more cooking – you really do need them to brown on one side, so they are not brittle and break. And I used hair spray to seal mine!

Ours our Christmas tree decorations and gift tags for presents …

Dough Recipe

What does tradition mean to you?

If you haven’t already guessed, I love this time of year. The days are long, the sun is warm and the house is filled with more laughter (mostly) and unique smells that instantly bring a smile to my face. There’s no doubt that it’s the smell and sound of tradition, the traditions of Christmas.

Do you remember things about the festive season when you were growing up? Was it something you ate? The smell of glazed ham, garden potatoes or fresh prawns? Or was it making presents for each other or going to the local carols? As I think about what this time of year means to me, it becomes evident that it’s the traditions the we have as a family, that make Christmas so special. The more I talk to others, I hear about new traditions, some of which really excite me.

Traditions are what make us, they are embedded into our culture, our history and shape our norm. A recent conversation about Christmas traditions got me excited so let me share some special Christmas traditions with you … so in no particular order here are some ideas I’ve put together:

December = Christmas story month! The excitement of snuggling up our kids and seeing their faces light up with a Christmas story will never get old. Get out your collection of Christmas books and read one each night until Christmas, perhaps is there a new one added each year? Perhaps there are 12 on rotation, 24 special ones (!) or even a special six? It is a beautiful way to bond and get the kids excited and reinforce the special stories of Christmas. Why not do a swap with family or friends for a week or two to get a fresh story or too to read?

Sweet dreams – get your kids a special Christmas pillow case that they use for the month of December (with regular washing of course)

Tis the season to be kind – This is one of my absolute favourite traditions. For me Christmas is as much about being gracious and showing gratitude as it is anything else so I am right behind the “acts of kindness” traditions. This one costs nothing, or very little and can be translate anyway you want but the idea is the that you work together as a family to do things for others, as acts of kindness. 10 days / 12 days / 5 days / 1 day it doesn’t matter – do what works for your family

Ginger all around us – when I recently spoke to a group of mums one of their favourite traditions involved cooking and in particular cooking ginger bread men or gingerbread houses. I absolutely loved this, and what a special treat for the kids. They told me this is an annual tradition as soon as the kids break up from school. I know not everyone is a Betty Crocker, so I did some research and Ikea has delivered. They have kits from just $5. If you trust your kids decorating skills they would also make beautiful gifts. I’ve also seen local supermarkets with some great kits too!

Escape the distraction and make decorating your tree a phone free time – today we have a unhealthy relationship with our phone, iPads and other devices so why not actively pop them away and have distraction free time, tune into your family only as you set up and decorate your tree, put the carols on and just enjoy all that Christmas has to offer.

Mark the year. Another favourite, don’t let the years fly by unnoticed get a special something that reminds of the year gone by and hang it on the tree – mark it with the years date. It could be from a holiday, a special place you’ve been, something from your home or garden or just something you love – you will create lasting memories and create talking points in the years to come

The special Christmas Eve Book – I know a few families who have a special read of The Night Before Christmas, and have done for generations

Pay it forward – I think this is a special idea and one I am going to be embracing. Going to a local toy store and choosing a gift each for someone less fortunate than ourselves. Each child chooses one for a child the same age, wraps them and then leaves them under one of the donation trees.

Christmas Night ideas (if you have the energy). How about once the kids are in bed on Christmas night, you put together new toys and games so that they can spend the entire Boxing Day playing with their gifts – extend the fun?

Some other favourite traditions I’ve come across include;

Making Christmas wrapping paper – fun holiday activities for the kids and so cherished by the recipient (or reusing artwork from the year that has bee?)

Christmas reef making with your friends (Adults that is)– forage each other’s gardens, pop the champagne and have fun creating something unique with a ring of oasis!

Make an electronic Christmas Card – save on paper and get the family involved on making an electronic card

Get into the spirit of Christmas –after the kids have gone to bed (finally) create and organise the Santa gifts or eat the milk and cookies – with Santa hats on!

Write Santa letters – and if you want one back in the mail check out my shop https://lovefromsanta.com/personalised-letter-from-santa/

Elf on the shelf – too fun

Annual Santa photos

Baking gifts and Santa cookies

Christmas is a time for family, friends, laughter, love, food, tradition and gratitude. Why not add a new ritual this year and see if it sticks? It may just become a tradition for years to come.

Here’s what I am loving …

Amy Malpass, Editor in Chief @ the gorgeous The Grace Tales, picks my letters as one of her favourite things this Christmas!

Thank you for this beautiful feature this week, I was tickled pink.

I really hope the magic words from Santa do help to keep your children on their best behaviour until Christmas Day – and beyond! Here’s hoping 🙂

A simple fun Christmas activity for the whole family

A few days ago I posted in my Instagram stories the fun little after school activity my girls and I completed. The making of our Christmas Wreath.

I had a lot of lovely comments back so I thought I would quickly explain the very easy process so you too can do this with your family!

All you need is:

x1 oasis ring (easily brought online, or at your local florist)

and abundance of leaves

some little helpers!

 

Being a typical Mum / Woman I was actually multitasking, when this activity started. The hedge needed trimming, so that is what I was doing. When I saw all the beautiful leaves I had cut off (the lovely special new growth) I whipped out our oasis Christmas Wreath, soaked it in water and gathered the troops!

We simply took the leaves and stuck them into the Oasis, starting with a bottom layer and working up higher and higher as we completed each layer. It was so easy – and fun. You couldn’t really do anything wrong.

At the end we did a final check to see if we would see any Oasis, sticking more leaves into any spaces we spotted.

We then left the ring in a shallow pool of water over night (because you need to do that with Oasis so that it really absorbs and holds the water).

The finishing touch was a hydrangea head from the garden that we broke into small sections and poked into the oasis in a circle in the middle.

Even our dog got involved with this fun activity (well he plonked his ball right amongst our leaves so we would keep throwing it to him!)

All that’s missing is the fairy lights … 🙂

Are you Christmas Elf ready??

It’s one of the things that every year, just suddenly hits you … 30th November and OMG I have to get that Christmas elf out! And on that subject where of where is he …?!

When I first got into this business back in 2015 the Elf on Shelf was still quite a new concept, so much so I actually got a contract in place for selling them – I would never have believed they were going to get as big as they now are!

And I must admit back then I was a little reluctant to add this to our Christmas build up … but I am so pleased I did.

I LOVE our Elf. Rapunzel.

So much so that I now have two! Rapunzel & Bella (see them below – insert love heart!).

I can’t wait for them to come back.

If you found yourself with an offical Elf on the Shelf you would have been given the book explaining in a lovely rhyming story the reason he / she has visited you, the rules for the duration of his stay and the consequence of them not being followed. It was a handy book for my young children to help them really grasp the concept. There are lots of other lovely Elves out there now too, some really beautiful ones!

To recap .. the basic premise of the Elf is:

Santa has sent you an elf for the Dec 1st to 24th period

You are to name, love and look after your elf

He watches your family during the day to make sure that everyone is behaving

He flys back to Santa (magically) every night to report his findings

When he comes back each night, he is found somewhere new. Because Elves are renown for being rather cheeky they can often be found doing mischievous things in your house

You must NOT touch the Elf or his magic disappears … so whilst he looks like a doll during the day, that is in fact purposeful, touching him will ruin his ability to turn back into an Elf that can travel back to Santa at night time (as I’ve already had to explain in detail to my daughter this year)

Your Elf will leave you on the 24th of Dec, regrouping with all the other Elves. But fear not, hold back the tears, he / she will be back on 1st December the next year!

The best bits about having an Elf

Children just LOVE it

It really creates a different feeling in the house for December, and the whole family gets onboard

Their is huge anticipation for the Elf to come back. Even the oldest of Kids can’t wait for the Elf to come back!

The Elf reports bad behaviour … he’s always watching. Meaning you are guaranteed a few days of good behaviour at least 🙂

The worst bits about having an Elf

Remembering to move the Elf every night!! Those of us with elves in our houses in the past, I can guarantee, have all had at least one late night moving on the elf! And many having woken in the middle of the night to have to go and do it! And I am sure there are some equally good tales that have been told about why he /she actually didn’t move at all last night (ha).

Saying goodbye on the 24th of December! There have been some very broken little hearts when the Elves leave. Luckily all that wrapping paper and present filled frenzy of Christmas Day is a good distraction!

Some great suggestions for Elf Activity

Just following the hashtag #elfontheshelfideas will give you a good selection!

I’ve also pasted below a clever list from @misskyreeloves Adore Christmas guide which had a good list too, although my Elf is gone on Christmas Day, he’s more than had his time in the sun by then!

I always try to keep my Elves out of touching height – because resisting temptation is not a strong characteristic of many children!

Happy Elfing 🙂

The countdown to Christmas begins so soon!

What is Advent? Advent is the period of four Sundays and weeks before Christmas (or sometimes from the 1st December to Christmas Day!) Advent means ‘Coming’ in Latin. This is the coming of Jesus into the world. Christians use the four Sundays and weeks of Advent to prepare and remember the real meaning of Christmas.But you don’t need an Advent calendar to know that Christmas is coming, but opening a little numbered door to reveal a little something is an idea that everyone—religious or not—can get behind.

I grew up with the chococlate Advent Calendar tradition. One day, one little door, one chocolate. Such fun. Now for my own family, I use the Advent countdown to bring Christmas to life as a family. It’s such a special time of year, but it can be busy and hectic too. That’s when and why, I fell in love with the advent calendar full of things that connected the family again. I still sprinkle the 24 days with chocolate (of course) but things like cookie making, putting up the tree together, singing carols after dinner together, making gifts for the neighbours etc. It’s hectic, it’s intense, it’s fun and it’s highly anticipated in our house!!

But getting yourself organise early is KEY. Below are some ideas & hacks to help you get started! 

My top tips and tricks for having an Activity Advent Calendar:

ONE: Start looking for your advent calendar from last year (if you are re-using one) now, just in case you can’t find it! Save yourself a last minute panic purchase where you will have limited options.

TWO: Decide what your Calendar is going to look like – are you going to buy a blank canvas to work with, or are you going to source paper bags and use ribbons and string to put it all together? There are so many neat ideas out there.

THREE: Then sit down and decide what’s most important to you at Christmas and theme your advent calendar activities that way. Is it family moments, community awareness, the joy of giving, chocolate treats, fun & silliness, reflection, stopping and being together, activities & craft? You decide, it’s your ritual. Create a list of 24 things you want to do as you build up to Christmas around that theme. Realistic things, that you know you can achieve. See my template starter below, add to these OR have a look at this amazing pack with the cutest little cards and ideas from Keeps NZ, I loved this last year, and I love it again this year. Such an easy and simple way to get organised – and their ideas are so cute. Massive thumbs up from me!

Then when 1st December hits … create your own rituals around your calendar:

*Take daily turns to open the Advent Calendar, adults included, or not?!

*Decide what time of the day the Advent Calendar is opened, first thing, night time? Make that an important time for the next 24 days

*Perhaps if you are the one who opens the calendar, you are the one who must check the water levels of the Christmas tree? Or are you tasked with another equally important task?

My favourite blank canvases to use for creating your own family advent calendar:

*Myer have this super one for $49

*Love this white and gold star themed hanger from Kikki-Kand it comes with 24 little bags for each day too!

*One of my favs for a few years now is this one on Etsy, from Hide and Seek textilesis this one for $154

*Pottery Barnhave a few great fabric options, I brought the Skinny Santa Advent Calendar from them last year and loved having his big red presence in our house every day! (plus sign up to their newsletter for 15% off your first order which is good to remember)

*Targethas a great little wooden box for $30

*Myer has two great option for wooden calendars with little pull out drawers; this white and gold $99 in white and goldand this super sweet little one from the House and Garden brand for $99.

*Oh and these – LOVE LOVE LOVE! I’ve just ordered a wee set of these paper Advent Boxed Houses– I am going to decorate my Advent Calendar with them and a few wooden pegs … I will share pics when I’ve finished!

Other Advent calendar ideas

Two great Advent Calendar book options:

How Winston Delivered Christmas– 24 chapters of a sweet little story about a mouse on a very important mission – to get a letter to Santa! (right up my alley). Each chapter has a festive activite for the family to do. A great gift!

Christmas is Coming – an Advent Book. Every day of December brings a delightful new Christmas tradition in this keepsake advent book. Each flap on the cover of the book reveals a clue to a festive activity that can be found inside the pages. It might be a recipe for a delicious homemade treat, instructions for a cozy craft, a game to play, a carol to sing, or a beautifully illustrated story to read with the whole family. A sort of one stop shop!!

For the dog:

Personalised Dog Advent Calendar – this or this

For someone who needs to take care of themselves:

Love this little idea Personalised Self care Advent Calendarfrom Hard To Find, full of lovely ways to be kind to yourself (24 in fact!) from lighting a candle to going to bed early, to turning off your phone for the evening.

Advent Calendars to buy

Many options to buy pre-made sets now! So many brands are making beautiful advent calendars it now seems – no longer just the chocolate ones. We had a beautiful one from L’Occitane last year, which was so fun to open at bath time. This year I see there are ones from; The Body Shop, Kiehls, ASOS, Lego, Whiskey Companys, Sephor, YsL, Crayola, Villeroy & Bch, Mecca, Smiggle, Harry Potter, Jo Malone, Happy Socks and one full of Beard Oild Treats! Seems this is an advent calendar for everyone if you go looking.

My Love From Santa family Activity Advent Calendar starters:

No making bed day!

Make a set of Christmas decorations with this awesome Christmas dough recipe (from @anneke_heu)

Christmas song sing and dance session tonight

Do something special for Dad Day

Think of three kind things each of your family members has done for you this year, and write them down for them to keep

Do something special for Mum / Dad Day

Put up the Christmas tree together

Find one special Christmas chocolate hidden somewhere in the house

Make a Christmas card for your favourite neighbour and leave it in their letter box

Make a batch of reindeer food with this simple recipe

Do something kind for someone, unexpectedly today – report back at dinner time what you have done

Have a PJ Day!

Choose your favourite Christmas food to make today – ideas: mince pies, ginger bread house, pavlova, Christmas coloured iceblocks, Christmas Tree toast

Candy Cain seeds – plant them and see what grows overnight