Every year, millions of letters are written to Santa Claus from all over the world. Unfortunately, many of them never reach their intended recipient because the envelope is simply addressed to the “North Pole”. This year, Finland’s postal service Posti, parent company of SmartPosti, has decided to help ensure that as many letters as possible reach the world’s most generous recipient without any misunderstandings.
Many people associate Santa Claus with the North Pole. But when it comes to an official hometown, Rovaniemi is the only city to carry the title. Earlier this year, the European Union’s Intellectual Property Office also upheld the city’s registered trademark, "The Official Hometown of Santa Claus".
Now, Finland’s postal service Posti, which also owns SmartPosti operating in Lithuania, is taking the correction one step further. Posti, which runs Santa Claus’ Main Post Office in the Arctic Circle, is launching a campaign to tackle what it calls “the world’s biggest address mix-up”: the millions of letters still sent to Santa at the North Pole.
As part of the initiative, special Santa mailboxes will appear in selected locations, giving people the chance to get their letters directly to the Arctic Circle. You can also win a trip to Lapland.
The North Pole Redirect makes sure every letter is heard
Posti is particularly targeting countries where the North Pole is deeply established as Santa's address, including the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. Throughout this holiday season, special Santa mailboxes will be introduced in London, New York and Toronto, and every letter collected from them will be delivered to Santa Claus’ Main Post Office before Christmas.
Posti is also inviting other postal services around the world to forward letters addressed to Santa at the North Pole to the Arctic Circle in Finland. In some countries, postal operators already go the extra mile. MaltaPost, for example, provides a special mailbox each Christmas and forwards thousands of letters to Finland every year.
Every letter addressed to Santa Claus is much more than an ordinary piece of mail. It is part of a cherished tradition that has been celebrated around the world for many years.
“People write to Santa Claus because they want to be heard and want to share their hopes, wishes and dreams. Every day, we read letters from Poland, Taiwan, Italy, Japan, Finland and many other countries around the world. Each one contains a small piece of a different world, expressed through different languages and stories. The entire team of elves and I never cease to be amazed and delighted by this, and this year we are ready to receive even more letters,” says Katja Tervonen, Chief Elf at Santa Claus’ Main Post Office.
A Global Christmas Tradition
The post office, which officially forms part of Finland’s postal network, is much more than a Christmas attraction. Six postal elves work there throughout the year, while during the busiest Christmas period, the team grows to around 20 employees. Every year, the post office receives approximately 500,000 letters, and during the busiest weeks of the festive season, as many as 30,000 letters can arrive in a single day.
Since it began operating, Santa Claus’ Main Post Office has received more than 25 million letters from over 200 countries around the world.
All letters written and sent by 15 December, with the correct address, will be personally delivered to Santa Claus at his Main Post Office in Lapland just before the biggest celebration of the year.
What is more, this year you can even follow your letter all the way to Lapland! Simply take a photo while writing or sending your letter to Santa Claus and share it on Instagram or TikTok using the special hashtag#northpoleredirect. The winner of the challenge will receive a trip for two to the Arctic Circle, including a visit to Rovaniemi and the opportunity to see Santa Claus’ Main Post Office with their own eyes.
More information is available here.
About Posti
Posti is one of the leading delivery and fulfilment companies in Finland, Sweden and the Baltic countries. By offering a broad range of services, including parcel, freight and postal delivery, as well as warehousing, fulfilment and logistics services, we help our customers manage their everyday lives more smoothly.
Our goal is to transport all parcels without fossil fuels by 2030 and to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040. In 2025, Posti’s net sales amounted to EUR 1,447.6 million, and the company employs approximately 13,700 people. Posti Group shares are listed on the official list of Nasdaq Helsinki.
More information: www.posti.com