This site offers personalized video messages from Santa—for free

Going to visit Santa Claus and telling him what you hope to get for Christmas is a childhood tradition that has spanned the ages. This year, in-person visits to Santa are a challenge due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. However, just because your kids may not get the chance to sit on Santa’s knee this season doesn’t mean they won’t get the chance to connect with the big guy.

With Portable North Pole, you can get free, personalized videos from Santa. The app is available for both iOS and Android. You can enter your child’s name and photos in the app for a video greeting from Santa Claus made especially for them. The app also offers two interactive videos, and you can enter up to four names in group videos, making for a fun and personalized and experience for the whole family.

Check out how Portable North Pole works in this video posted to their YouTube page:

There are two short videos you can try for free. Beyond that, there are premium packages that range in price from $4.99 to $14.99 that offer a variety of combinations of calls and video calls. A portion of all sales is donated to participating local children’s hospitals.

This year, Portable North Pole is also offering “My Christmas Story,” a personalized book that sees your child traveling to Santa’s Village to save Christmas with the help of elves, husky dogs and Santa Claus himself. This festive keepsake comes with a premium personalized video message from Santa, too. The book is priced at $37.87.

Portable North Pole is not the only way to interact with Santa from a distance this year. Another option is a free virtual visit to Macy’s Santaland, available Nov. 27 through Dec. 24. Just like everyone else in 2020, Santa is also available on Zoom through Live Calls With Santa. The base package is priced at $19.95 and includes a live video chat of up to five minutes with Santa from his workshop.

Of course, you could also stick with traditional letter-writing: The United States Postal Office will even send a letter from Santa back to your children (as long as you write it!). Any way you go about it, connecting with St. Nick is easier than ever this holiday season.