Every Christmas hundreds of children draw up a list of presents they want and write to Santa Claus, in the North Pole, assuring him they were well-behaved all year round.

Convinced Santa will believe them and get their message, the hopeful children sketch a stamp on the envelope and head to the nearest post box.

This year, for the first time, the bearded man himself has written back with the help of a team of aides tucked away at Maltapost’s head office.

Through a new Letters From Santa service, over 400 parents sent a letter to Maltapost with their children’s wish list and a €5 contribution to make sure busy Santa has the resources to reply.

Two of the helpers, Mary Grace Farrugia and Arianne Borg, said this collaboration with Father Christmas had been planned since August and was aimed at putting a smile on children’s faces.

“I myself have two children and I know how happy they will be to receive a letter from Santa. We want to make children happy,” Ms Borg said adding the €5 would merely cover costs.

Apart from a few letters by adults, children themselves write their own letters to Santa – after all, everyone knows he gives priority to children and one would not want to risk a parent’s letter being processed too late for Christmas.

This year, as was the case before, hundreds of letters written by children around Malta and Gozo landed at the Maltapost offices. Before they are forwarded to Lapland, in Finland, from where the gifts are dispatched, they are read by Maltapost’s very own Father Christmas.

“Most children ask for some form of game console with the Nintendo Wii at the top of the list. Toys, such as Hello Kitty, Barbie and Bakuguns are also in high demand,” Santa said.

While toys were very popular on the “most wanted” list, he said, some children with more sophisticated tastes would rather have the real thing – such as a real laptop or a real puppy.

Then there were the heartbreaking requests, like children asking for a sick relative to get better. One child, who wished for a Wii, which she spelt “Wee”, told Santa her father had died and her mother could not afford to buy it for her.

One boy even took the initiative to help Santa save some money over the holidays and attached a printout of an Ebay page to his letter, showing the reduced price of a game he was asking for. Others assured Santa one game console was enough for them and their siblings as they would share.

And, in a spirit of hospitality, many children reminded Santa to help himself to some milk and cookies when he landed in their living room.