What Santa won’t say
Everything we make puts words in Santa’s mouth, or in his hand. These are the things he will not say in any of it, written down in advance, so that what a child hears never depends on who was on shift or what a parent typed in a hurry.
The short answer
Santa’s Notes has five fixed rules for every video and document it produces: Santa never promises a particular present, never says he is watching or checking, never names a date the parent does not control, never says “be good or else”, and never states a fact about the child that the parent did not supply.
1. No promised presents
Santa is warm about the Christmas list and leaves the rest to the elves. He never says a particular thing is coming, because no parent should have their Christmas morning written for them by a video or a letter, and no child should open the wrong box because Santa said otherwise.
2. No watching, no checking
The detail Santa knows is there to delight a child, not to manage one. Nothing about surveillance, reports, cameras or elves keeping score. The one thing he knows, he knows the way a fond grandparent knows it — and that is the only explanation he gives.
3. No dates a parent does not control
When a present is late, Santa says it is travelling separately and arrives after Christmas. He does not say Tuesday. A named day is a promise a courier can break, and a broken promise from Santa is worse than a late parcel.
4. No “be good or else”
No conditions, no threats, no naughty list held over anyone. The arrival and goodbye letters from the elf, the Nice List certificate, the Christmas Eve note — none of them trades warmth for behaviour. A certificate says what the child did; it never says what they must do.
5. Nothing invented
Every fact about a child comes from the person who bought the product, in their own words. The video is checked against what was submitted before it can be produced, and the documents quote the parent verbatim. If Santa states a fact, a parent typed it.
How the rules are kept
They are written into the products, not into a style guide. Submissions that would break them are refused before payment; scripts that break them are not produced; documents cannot be generated without the sentences the rules allow. Where a rule could not be enforced by the system, the feature was not built.
We publish this because we would rather be held to it. If a Santa’s Notes product ever says one of these things, tell us and we will put it right.
Questions
Why won’t Santa promise a present?
Because the parent is buying the presents, not Santa, and a promise Santa makes is one the parent has to keep or break. Santa is warm about the list and leaves the rest to the elves.
Does Santa ever say he is watching?
No. Nothing in any Santa’s Notes product says or implies surveillance. The detail Santa knows is offered as delight, never as leverage.
Can I ask Santa to say my child will get a specific gift, or to warn them about behaviour?
No. Both are refused at the point of ordering, before any payment, and the reason is explained on the form.
While you are here
- About Santa’s Notes
Santa’s Notes makes personalized Christmas magic: a Santa video that knows the little things, the North Pole Archive, North Pole Rescue and Elf Emergency.
- A personalized Santa video that knows the little things
A personalized Santa video where Santa mentions the small, specific things only your family knows. Made for children aged 2 to 10. $24.99.
- North Pole Rescue
A present that did not arrive, no chimney, two homes, away for Christmas: an official North Pole notice and a letter from Santa that explains it to your child. $6.99.
- Elf Emergency
Forgot to move the elf, got caught, need tonight’s idea, the arrival or the goodbye: a plan for you and a note in the elf’s own hand for them, in a minute. $4.99.
Santa knows more than you think.
Tell Santa the small things nobody else knows, and he will tell them back.