Christmas is just over a month away. To add a magical experience to your holiday season, parents can help their children send a letter to Santa - and if they write to the right post office in Germany, they'll even receive a reply.
The first thing to know is there are seven 'Christmas post offices' around Germany.
Children can choose to write to the Weihnachtsmann (literally Christmas man, meaning Father Christmas), the Christkind, Nikolaus (St. Nicholas) - or all three.
The variety of gift givers during the festive period in Germany dates back to the religious divisions that happened during the Reformation.
The biggest Christmas Post office is the branch in Himmelpfort, Brandenburg, just north of Berlin. The tradition here dates back to 1984, when a local postal worker discovered two letters to Santa from children in Berlin and Saxony.
The postal worker replied to them herself, but word quickly spread that this was the place to write to if you wanted to reach Santa. Now Himmelpfort receives around 300,000 wish lists every year.
How to see or write to Santa
Deutsche Post says Santa travelled "from the North Pole to the Christmas village of Himmelpfort" on November 13th, and that he and twenty helpers will be busy answering children's letters and addressing their wish lists until Christmas Eve.
So the Weihnachtsmann can be reached by post at his workshop: Santa's House, Klosterstraße 23, 16798.
Santa reportedly finds time, between his rather busy schedule at this time of year, on the long weekends until Christmas Eve - that is from Thursdays to Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Also on December 22nd and 23rd, 2025, he will be present in the post office there to personally accept children's wish lists.
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But not to worry if you can't make it in person, or even if you're not writing from Germany, Santa will reply to letters from children from all over the world.
Thanks to Santa and his hardworking elves, some of whom moonlight as postal workers, children who write to the following address can expect a response:
An den Weihnachtsmann
Weihnachtspostfiliale
16798 Himmelpfort
As mentioned above, there are other addresses around Germany where you send a letter to either Santa, Christkind or Saint Nicolas. Find the post office nearest to you here.
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While Santa and his helpers are set to continue dutifully answering letters until Christmas Eve, you'll want to send your letters off as soon as possible to have the best chance of receiving a reply before the holiday.
The wish lists should generally be received by post by the second Advent (December 7th, 2025) at the latest so that the reply can be returned in good time before Christmas Eve.
Deutsche Post says: "It is very important that the sender is written on each letter so that Father Christmas can reply to the children."
Last year there were more than 50,000 letters from children. Deutsche Post says: "We endeavour to answer all your letters in time for the festive season. In order for us to do this, your letters to Father Christmas must reach our post office at least ten days before Christmas Eve."
The other Christmas post office branches in Germany are located in Himmelsthür, Himmelpforten and Nikolausdorf in Lower Saxony, Himmelstadt in Bavaria, and St. Nikolaus in Saarland.
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