DIY Life

I found instructions on how to do this on Karen Clark's site Fun Activities for Kids. Here's what you do:

Step 1: Gather Intelligence. Visit Santa at your local mall or department store. Listen carefully to what your children tell him! Or stay home and help your kids write a letter to Santa.

Step 2. Sneakily compose your reply letter from Santa. Incorporate references to the kids' conversation with Santa or the contents of their "Dear Santa" letter. Handwrite or print it, and use whatever craft tricks or computer skills you like to make it look authentic.

Step 3. Address an envelope to your kids. Make sure the return address reads "Sender: Santa Claus, North Pole," or something similar. Now here's the cool trick you will want to use to make this a professional job: download this "North Pole" postmark to your computer and print it onto the envelope.

Want to make it look even more convincing? Send it to the "North Pole," i.e., the US Postal Service's North Pole Station in Alaska. Here's the address: North Pole Christmas Cancellation, Postmaster, 5400 Mail Trail, Fairbanks, AK 99709-9998. The station's elves will stamp your letter with the North Pole postmark, then send it on its merry journey back to your home. Oh, and the elves told me letters must be received by December 15.