Deutsche Post (Christkind / Weihnachtsmann)

Brief an den Weihnachtsmann (2026) — Letter to Santa from Germany

Brief an den Weihnachtsmann — how to send a letter to Santa from Germany, the Himmelpfort and Engelskirchen addresses, mailing deadline, and how Deutsche Post replies.

Last verified against Deutsche Post (Christkind / Weihnachtsmann) sources: May 2026

Santa's address in Germany

An den Weihnachtsmann Weihnachtspostfiliale 16798 Himmelpfort Germany

Copy the address exactly — extra punctuation or missing lines can route the letter to the wrong sorting office.

Mailing deadline

December 12

Reply rate

high

Postage required

Yes

Reply languages

German, English, French, Russian

What makes this program different

→Germany has multiple Christmas post offices. Himmelpfort ("Heaven's Gate") is the most famous Weihnachtsmann (Father Christmas) office.
→Engelskirchen runs a separate Christkind (Christ Child) program for families with that tradition — Christkind, 51777 Engelskirchen.
→Both programs reply in multiple languages — write the letter in your language and the reply matches.
→Programs have been running since the 1980s — long-established tradition for German families.

While you wait for Santa's reply

Once the letter is mailed, the wait begins. On Christmas Eve, you can watch Santa fly his sleigh through Germany in real time on our free Santa tracker. It's a privacy-first simulation that runs in your browser, no signup, no tracking — and we've been refining it for years.

A short history of the Germany Santa letter program

Himmelpfort — literally 'Heaven's Gate' — is a small Brandenburg village whose name was too good to waste. Deutsche Post turned it into the country's flagship Weihnachtspostfiliale (Christmas post office) in 1984 after letters started arriving addressed simply 'An den Weihnachtsmann, Himmelpfort'. The volunteer team there has been replying every December for over forty years.

Germany runs several parallel Christmas post offices because the country is split on which figure brings the gifts. Northern and eastern Germany tend toward the Weihnachtsmann (Father Christmas), while southern and Catholic regions write to the Christkind (Christ Child). Engelskirchen — 'Angel's Church' — handles the Christkind side from North Rhine-Westphalia.

Together the German Christmas offices process well over half a million letters each season. Replies arrive on illustrated stationery with a special Himmelpfort or Engelskirchen postmark — a small piece of Deutsche Post Christmas history that turns up in scrapbooks for decades after.

What kids in Germany traditionally ask for

🎁German kids ask for Playmobil and Märklin train sets — both German brands with a near-mandatory presence under the Tannenbaum. LEGO and Schleich animal figures round out the under-10 set.
🎁Books are huge. German Christmas leans literary — kids often request specific titles by name, and an Adventskalender stuffed with little books is a common pre-Christmas tradition.
🎁Gifts are opened on the evening of December 24 (Heiligabend), not Christmas morning. Letters tend to specify this — German kids know the schedule and remind Santa not to be late.
🎁A plate of Lebkuchen and a Glas Milch (or a small Schnaps for Santa, depending on the household's sense of humour) gets left out, plus carrots and apples for the reindeer.

Sample letter template (Germany)

A starting point — change the names, the gift list, and the kind thing you did this year. Santa likes specifics over generic wish lists.

German

Lieber Weihnachtsmann,

Ich heiße [Name] und bin [Alter] Jahre alt. Ich wohne in [Stadt].

Ich habe mich dieses Jahr bemüht, brav zu sein. Ich habe [etwas Bestimmtes — meiner Mutter geholfen, meine Hausaufgaben gemacht, war nett zu meinem Geschwister].

Zu Weihnachten würde ich mir wünschen:
- [Hauptwunsch]
- [kleinerer Wunsch]
- [kleiner Wunsch]

Am Heiligabend stelle ich Lebkuchen und ein Glas Milch für dich raus, und Äpfel und Karotten für die Rentiere. Bitte grüße Frau Weihnachtsmann von mir.

Liebe Grüße,
[Name]

PS: Meine Adresse ist [Adresse], damit die Wichtel zurückschreiben können!

English

Dear Father Christmas,

My name is [name] and I am [age] years old. I live in [city].

I have tried to be good this year. I [something specific — helped my mother, did my homework without being asked, was nice to my sibling].

For Christmas I would love:
- [main wish]
- [smaller wish]
- [small wish]

On Christmas Eve I will leave Lebkuchen and a glass of milk for you, and apples and carrots for the reindeer. Please say hello to Mrs Claus.

Love,
[name]

PS: My address is [address] so the elves can write back!