emailSanta.com
{{Short description|Christmas-themed entertainment website}}
{{lowercase title}}
{{Cleanup reorganize|date=December 2024}}
emailSanta.com is a Christmas-themed entertainment website run by Alan Kerr which simulates emailing Santa Claus.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newsweek.com/how-do-you-e-mail-big-man-124659|title=How do you E-Mail the Big Man?| author=Newsweek Staff |date=November 28, 2004|work=Newsweek}} It also provides various other Christmas-themed simulations. Users compose their letter by filling out a blank form, then the website responds with a computer-generated letter which claims to be from Santa Claus. The site also includes a simulated video call for users to "see Santa live", where a pre-recorded video of an actor would be shown prior to the reply letter. From the website's inception, letters which contain pleas for help were directed to a special page, which lists online resources for assistance and counselling helplines. In extreme circumstances, the police have also been contacted.{{Cite news|title=Calgary Santa receives wishes and cries for help in emails from around the world|url=https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/calgary-santa-receives-wishes-and-cries-for-help-in-emails-from-around-the-world|access-date=2020-08-20|work=Calgary Herald|language=en-CA}}
History
When a 1997 Canada Post workers strike prevented their volunteers from responding to his niece and nephews letters to Santa Claus, Kerr created emailSanta.com as an online alternative.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/26/world/weeklong-postal-workers-strike-snarls-deliveries-in-canada.html|title=Weeklong Postal Workers' Strike Snarls Deliveries in Canada|first=Anthony|last=Depalma|date=November 26, 1997|work=New York Times}}{{cite news |last= Braid|first= Don |date=December 8, 1998 |title= Internet Santa rekindles magic|page= 4|work= The Calgary Sun}} During the first two weeks of the site's existence, emailSanta.com received over 1,000 emails.{{Cite web|title=Meet the People Who Respond to Emails to Santa Claus|url=https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/jmazd8/meet-the-people-who-respond-to-emails-to-santa-claus|access-date=2020-08-19|website=www.vice.com|date=23 December 2015 |language=en}}{{cite news |last=Baird |first= Kirk|date= December 13, 2004|title= He's Got Mail: Kids find that e-mailing Santa is more fun than using snail mail|work= Las Vegas Sun}}
In 2011, the website was incorporated in Alberta, Canada as emailSanta.com Inc.{{dubious|date=December 2024}}
In a 2021 letter to the Search Engine Journal, Kerr noted the declining traffic of his website.{{Cite web |last=Wright |first=Tony |date=2021-12-08 |title=Is Google Trying To Erase Santa? The Curious Case Of EmailSanta.com |url=https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-emailsanta-rankings-drop/429221/ |access-date=2022-12-26 |website=Search Engine Journal |language=en}} However, Kerr reported that traffic increased by 35% following another Canada Post strike{{cite web |last1=Brennan |first1=Noah |title=Calgary-based Santa emailing website sees renewed interest amid postal strike, founder says |url=https://calgaryherald.com/news/calgary-santa-emailing-website-sees-renewed-interest-amid-postal-strike-founder-says |website=Calgary Herald |publisher=Post Media |access-date=6 December 2024}} in 2024.
Reception
emailSanta.com has received mixed reviews from a variety of sources. Both Kerr and the website have received compliments and praise from TheStreet and Mamamia.{{cite web |last1=Brownell |first1=Matt |title=The Best Ways to Get a Hold of Santa |url=https://www.thestreet.com/personal-finance/best-ways-get-hold-santa-12790868 |access-date=22 December 2011 |website=The Street |date=22 December 2011 |publisher=TheStreet, Inc.}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.mamamia.com.au/email-santa-and-get-a-reply/|title=This is how my kids email Santa and get a reply. And it's free.|date=December 8, 2017|website=Mamamia}} It has also been noted for teaching children about the importance of online safety.{{cite web |last1=O'Brien |first1=Ciara |title=EmailSanta.com puts kids in touch Tech tools: Website allows youngsters to contact Santa Claus while also educating them on internet safety |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2022/12/15/tech-tools-emailsantacom/ |access-date=15 December 2022 |website=Irishtimes.com |publisher=The IrishTimes}} In 2002, Wired reported that Mummert Consulting, a German market-research company, had been evaluating Santa websites and that "the top site on the list was EmailSanta.com" for two years, specifically citing the personalization that kids receive in response.{{cite magazine |last1=Kettmann |first1=Steve |title=Dear Santa: You've Got E-Mail |url=https://www.wired.com/2002/11/dear-santa-youve-got-e-mail/ |access-date=30 November 2002 |website=Wired.com |publisher=Condé Nast}}
= Criticism =
On Christmas Eve in 2013, Nicholas Tufnell from Wired stated that "[t]he design leaves a lot to be desired (it's very late 1990s), but it's perfectly functional". He sent an email through the website and noted that "[t]he response [from Santa] is pleasant enough, if a little vague. It may excite children, but we're not convinced." He also remarked that the email came across as "obsequious", while the website's practice of having Santa type out "*wink*" was "unsettling".{{Cite magazine |last=Tufnell |first=Nicholas |title=Don't email Santa, it's disappointing |url=https://www.wired.com/story/dont-email-santa/ |access-date=2024-04-26 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}
References
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