So then Santa said to me......

I know what you're thinking... Santa doesn't exist.... except I know a secret ..... he does and we've recently been talking about Christmas, after all it's his specialist conversation and I may be a teeny bit excited already... Ben taking after me has started going to bed listening to the Christmas CD.

He introduced me to a delightful website where he works hard with Mrs Claus to write lovely personalised letters for children in time for Christmas.

Last year the elves brought a mummy-made letter with them from the big man himself and I must admit I was exhausted by the time I finished it, my creative juices were simply not flowing, so when Santa offered to take the pain out of doing it again this year I jumped at the chance and paid a visit to the Lapland Mailroom.  Everything about this website screams festive and I was like a child again ... I almost debated asking Santa to write ME a letter ... but I didn't.

The Letters

What I love most about Lapland Mailroom is that there are 4 template letters you can personalise (one being baby's first Christmas) so, as long as you have 3 children or less, they can all have a unique letter.   

Lets take a look at Letter 2 (one I chose).  There are many different places to personalise the letter.

Some are obvious; for example Santa needs to know your child's name, age and sex.  He needs to know where your child lives and, because his memory isn't as good as when he was a spring chicken needs a little reminder about what treat your children left out last year for him and the reindeer.   

You can add additional information that only Santa himself will know, the name of your child's friends and what present they have their heart set on seeing under the tree.

The bit I really loved was the special notes or achievements section. I used this area to write to my youngest about how his mummy and daddy are so proud of his potty training efforts this year and how the boys need to remember to be kind to each other (no child is perfect).  I also made mention of the Elves who come to stay every year, and will be bringing the letters with them.

Finally you can even select whether you want the letters signed by Father Christmas or Santa Claus depending on how he is referred to in your house.   

Once your letter is personalised you are asked to review it.  The writing is very small, but fortunately you can use the magnifying glass to read it.  Don't be concerned, like I was, if your text appears to go off the centre of the page into the borders, when it is printed this is rectified. Names however are printed exactly as they appear.  For some reason Santa will write Ben with a capital B but insisted on writing Noah's name all the way through in lower case.

Every letter costs £6.95 and comes with a Nice Certificate (normally priced at £2.95) which is a really great addition and looks very professional.

For an extra pound you can upgrade to include the Activity Pack, which means in addition to the letter and certificate you get the following all on thick white card:

Santa Stop here colouring in sign

Elf Yourself Activity Sheet

Colour in Christmas Card

Door hanger for the child's bedroom

Colour and Keep Christmas decoration.

Checkout

The checkout process is very simple with Santa accepting debit or credit cards or paypal, and will email you to confirm the order.

Delivery

I've mentioned that our Elves will be bringing the letters, the nice list and activities will be hidden up and brought out and certain times before Christmas (so keep an eye on the blog).  However Santa does posts it out directly to the child.so if you wish to split it this way you'll need to intercept the mail.

Santa wants to ensure children get letters as close to Christmas as possible so any letters ordered before the 27th November will not leave the mailroom on the 2nd December, they then leave weekly after this.  If you need them earlier you can upgrade to an express service so they are posted on the same day you order.  Don't forget tho, even the big man himself can't compensate for the postal service and the website lists the last posting dates to ensure they reach your children in time for Christmas.

Verdict

I really loved these letters and am sure the boys will too (I'll let you know).  If I could make any suggestions for Lapland Mailroom it would be to consider writing the letter in other languages (it's in English) and extending this selection to include other names such as Pere Noel and St. Nicholas as they offer a worldwide delivery and this little touch would go down so well in other countries.

If you'd like to stay in touch with Santa you can do so by clicking through the following links

                                

Can I let you into another secret....... I was soo in love with our letters that I spoke to the big man himself.....

I asked him if I could share the excitement in far more ways then just telling you about it, and just like he will make so many children happy on Christmas Day he simply made my Christmas by saying "yes"... and giving me the chance to host my first ever WORLDWIDE giveaway experience......

Simply enter using the rafflecopter below for the opportunity to win Personalised Letters for your family*.

*T&C's apply

As an early Christmas present for those who don't win ... or just cannot wait .... Santa says enter the code  xmaspromo2014 on the website for 20% off your order.

a Rafflecopter giveaway