Meeting Father Christmas has always been one of the most exciting parts of the festive season.
But imagine you're sitting at home when a phone suddenly starts ringing.
You look at the screen.
SANTA is calling.
A Santa video call brings the excitement of the North Pole onto the screen without your child even leaving home — and the surprise begins before Father Christmas has even appeared.
What Is a Santa Video Call?
A Santa video call is designed to create the excitement of receiving an unexpected call from Father Christmas.
The magic starts when the phone rings and the incoming-call screen shows something children probably weren't expecting to see:
SANTA.
Once the call is answered, Father Christmas appears on screen and the chosen Santa experience begins.
Different call options are available, and depending on the experience selected, the call may also include personalised touches such as your child's name.
For children who are already used to seeing grandparents, relatives and friends on video calls, seeing Santa arrive in the same familiar way can make the North Pole suddenly feel surprisingly close.
Is the Santa Video Call Live?
No. Our Santa video calls are not live or interactive calls with Father Christmas.
They're carefully created Santa experiences presented in the familiar style of a video call. Your child can see and hear Father Christmas, but Santa isn't watching or listening through the device.
That gives parents control over the experience while children still get the wonderful surprise of seeing Father Christmas appear to be calling them.
The Magic Starts When the Phone Rings
This is what makes the experience different from simply pressing play on a Christmas video.
You don't need to announce that you're about to show the children something from Santa.
Let the call be the surprise.
The phone rings.
Somebody notices it.
Then comes the question:
"Who is calling?"
And there on the screen is a name every child recognises.
SANTA.
Sometimes the few seconds before answering can be every bit as exciting as what happens afterwards.
What's the Difference Between a Personalised Santa Video and a Santa Video Call?
Both bring Father Christmas onto the screen, but they're designed to create different kinds of Christmas magic.
A personalised Santa video is built around personal details about your child, creating a message that feels specifically made for them.
A Santa video call focuses on the excitement of receiving the call itself. You choose from the available call experiences and, depending on the option selected, some may include personalised elements such as the child's name.
With the personalised video, the magic comes from just how much Father Christmas appears to know.
With the video call, it starts with something much more immediate:
Santa is calling.
You can find out more about the other option in our guide to how a personalised video from Santa works.
Will My Child Think Santa Is Really Calling?
Every child is different, and no Christmas experience comes with a guaranteed reaction.
But the familiar format of an incoming call can make the experience feel wonderfully immediate.
Children see adults answering calls all the time. They may already video call grandparents, cousins or friends.
So when exactly the same sort of device suddenly says Santa is calling, it connects something magical with something they already understand.
And if the call option you've chosen includes their name, hearing Father Christmas say it can add another lovely moment of surprise.
A Lovely Option for Children Who Are Shy Around Santa
Not every child enjoys meeting Father Christmas face-to-face.
Some will happily run into a busy Santa's grotto and immediately start talking.
Others may become shy when they're suddenly standing in front of somebody dressed as Santa, particularly somewhere unfamiliar.
A screen-based Santa experience lets children enjoy Father Christmas from somewhere they already feel comfortable — their own home.
They can sit on the sofa, cuddle their favourite teddy and enjoy the moment without queues, crowds or pressure to talk back.
When Is the Best Time for a Santa Video Call?
There isn't one perfect date.
The best time depends on the Christmas story you're creating at home.
You could arrange the call:
- At the beginning of December to start building excitement.
- After your child has written their letter to Santa.
- After North Pole post has arrived.
- During the final week before Christmas.
- As part of a special Christmas Eve surprise.
Rather than treating the call as an isolated event, think about how it can connect with the other magical moments your child has already experienced.
Let Santa Call After North Pole Post Arrives
One lovely Christmas sequence starts with something physical.
First, your child writes their own letter to Father Christmas.
Later, a personalised letter from Santa arrives through the letterbox.
Then, as Christmas gets closer, the phone rings.
It's Santa.
Suddenly Father Christmas hasn't appeared in just one part of the child's Christmas. The same North Pole world seems to be reaching their home in completely different ways.
That's where combining traditional Christmas post with modern technology can work particularly well.
Santa Calls Without You Leaving Home
December can become incredibly busy for families.
There are school plays, Christmas parties, shopping trips, family visits and all the other things competing for space in the calendar.
A Santa video call doesn't require another journey.
There's no queue, no drive to a grotto and no trying to persuade an excited child to put their coat back on afterwards.
The magic comes to them.
Have Another Phone Ready for the Reaction
If you think your child is going to have a brilliant reaction, there's one practical thing worth doing before Santa calls.
Have another phone or camera ready.
Don't concentrate entirely on recording Santa's screen. Capture your child's face when they realise who's calling.
The surprise, the pointing, the shouting for somebody else to come and look — those can become brilliant family Christmas memories in their own right.
Don't Explain Too Much Beforehand
Christmas magic generally works better when children are allowed to discover things themselves.
You don't need an elaborate explanation for why Santa has suddenly learned how to make video calls.
Let the phone ring.
Look surprised.
Let your child see who's calling.
Then allow their imagination to take care of the rest.
After all, a man who manages to fly around the entire world in one night probably isn't going to be defeated by a smartphone.
Mix Modern Magic With Traditional Christmas
A Santa video call doesn't need to replace writing a letter, visiting Father Christmas or leaving a mince pie on Christmas Eve.
It works best as another chapter in the same story.
Children can still sit at the table and write to Santa.
They can still receive real North Pole post through the letterbox.
They can still leave a carrot for Rudolph.
But somewhere between all those traditional moments, Father Christmas can apparently work out how to make a video call too.
We've collected more ways to combine traditional and modern Christmas experiences in 7 ways to make Christmas more magical for your child in 2026.
What Would Your Child Do If Santa Called?
That's really the fun of the experience.
Some children might answer immediately.
Some might run across the room to find Mum or Dad.
Some may simply stare at the screen trying to work out whether what they're seeing can possibly be real.
And some will probably shout:
"SANTA'S CALLING!"
Which is precisely the sort of unexpected little Christmas moment they'll want to tell everybody about afterwards.