Every December, parents go looking for a phone number for Santa. The idea is lovely: your child dials, Santa picks up. In practice a number you ring is hard to get right. Lines are busy on the nights everyone wants them, a small child has to hold the phone and wait, and whoever answers knows nothing about who is calling.
A call that comes to you
A call that Santa makes is a different thing. The phone rings in your house. You look at the screen, raise your eyebrows and say, “It’s for you.” That moment, before a word is spoken, is most of the magic.
That is how Santa Call NZ works. You tell us your child’s first name and how old they are, and choose one thing Santa should praise. Santa then rings your New Zealand mobile or landline, either straight away or at a time you book, and his message plays when you answer. He says your child’s name four times.
Why the name matters
Children are quick to spot something made for everybody. A message that opens with their own name, and mentions the thing they have been trying hard at, lands very differently. It is also why we ask how the name is said. If the spelling does not match the sound, write it the way it sounds and that is what Santa reads.
What it costs
A phone call from Santa is NZ$3.79 and a message by email is NZ$1.87. There is no subscription and nothing to install.
If you would rather not use the phone
The email version arrives as an MP3 with a link. The link opens a screen that looks like an incoming call from Santa, with a green button to answer. It works well for a child who is at Nana’s for the night, or when you want to choose the exact moment yourself.