Since the North Pole is more than 4,000 miles away from Orlando, Santa Claus has come to rely upon the postal service and virtual technology to connect with Central Florida families during the holiday season. Now, children don’t need to worry about whether their letters to Old Saint Nick are received at the North Pole thanks to parent-friendly resources! Plus, holiday ho-ho-homepages offer plenty of online activities for little elves to enjoy right on the home computer or iPad.

Letters & Videos

• SealedBySanta.com sends kids across the nation one-of-a-kind authentic letters right from Santa’s workshop, complete with Santa’s wax seal! Parents can select from 12 different letters, each personalized for the special kid in their life. For $10.95, letters also come with two videos from Santa through NorthPoleVideos.com and Magical Reindeer Food. Or purchase other necessities, like a “nice” certificate, Santa evidence kit, and other holiday tools.
• Through December 15^th, loved ones can send the gift of magic to children through a similar site, SantaSentMeaLetter.com, again for $10.95. Each letter is addressed to the recipient on custom stationary and includes unique personal details. Letters, available as religious or non-religious, may include praise for good grades, mentions of specific wish-list toys, and names of special friends. SantaSentMeaLetter.com can produce an Official Nice List Card, which resembles a license, and Santa’s Official Key, to be left outside on Christmas Eve so he can gain access through the front door instead of the chimney! Keep the magical key as an ornament.
• Log onto PortableNorthpole.com to create a video message ($3.99) with tons of personalized choices. Kids will be amazed to see the bearded big guy in the red suit addressing them by name, sharing details about the holiday season, and referencing their favorite things! Explore other tailor-made gifts, such as books, puzzles, games, music, and even a phone call from the North Pole!

Website Wonderlands

• The kids section of Chabad.org offers fun Chanukah games, such as I Shpy, Dreidel Spin, a holiday quiz, and printables including mazes, word searches, and puzzles. Click on the Jewish Story Time tab to access stories in celebration of the holiday.
• ElfYourself.com, by Office Max, lets users create up to five funny elves that will dance in a brief video to most types of music. Simply upload a personal photo and choose how you’d like your elf to dance, surf, or sing. Email it to a friend for free, share via social media, or download the video to your phone or computer for $4.99. The site requires users to be age 14 or older, so have fun building elves together.
• NoradSanta.org tracks Santa Claus using a high-tech animated program and Google Earth. It includes a Kids’ Countdown Village with a daily holiday game (until December 24).
• Accessed at home and in the classroom, Northpole.com features dozens of activities, recipes, and holiday-themed stories. Users can click through various buildings in Santa’s Secret Village, including Santa’s Mailroom, where kids can write a letter to Santa and receive a response; Santa’s Den, which creates stories based on kids’ first name, hometown, and favored activity; and Elf Pal Academy, which contains puzzles, games, math problems, and a coloring book. Users can chat with Santa’s elves using ElfChat, a Java program that prompts automated responses!
• StNicholasCenter.org allows curious kids to explore the life and times of Saint Nicholas. Besides historical information, there is a wealth of related activities pertaining to St. Nicholas’ Day (Dec. 6), and festive crafts, recipes, songs, coloring pages, word searches, and insight into more than 20 Christmas customs and cultures from around the world.
• Starfall.com, a free site aimed to teach children to read, offers season-themed practice tools. Help the little ones sound out the sounds of the season. Then, exercise writing skills by sending an email to the Snowman.
• TheKidzPage.com is a free website that houses hundreds of games, puzzles, printable sheets, clip art, and more. In honor of the season, its Santa Dress Up activity lets kids laugh for hours by playing dress up with Santa and his elves.
• TorahTots.com features a variety of tales, music, and virtual Chanukah greeting cards. Kids can also explore arts & crafts and learn how to spin the dreidel.

Have you discovered another festive and family-friendly website? Share your favorites on Orlando Family Magazine’s Facebook and Twitter pages!