Ukrainian is to be added to the list of languages used in correspondence with Santa Claus. This was announced in an official statement by the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language: according to information provided to Olena Ivanovska by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Finnish side has supported the initiative and is already taking preparatory steps.
What exactly did the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Finnish side report?
The statement notes that the Embassy of Ukraine in Finland received a response from Kati Tervonen, head of Santa Claus's Post Office. The response states that Santa Claus's Office and Post Office fully support the initiative to send letters in Ukrainian “to and from Santa Claus.”
It also notes that Santa Claus and the postal elves will be delighted to receive letters from Ukrainian children, and that children can write to Santa in their native language.
How the initiative came about
The Commissioner recalled that back in September she had approached the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding a citizens' initiative to ensure Ukrainian-language replies to children's letters to Santa Claus.
What will change in the near future
According to the report, Santa Claus's post office is taking steps to add Ukrainian to the list of languages used in correspondence “as soon as possible.”
This means that Ukrainian should become an officially supported language in this Christmas postal communication (according to the logic of the report — for both letters and replies).
Olena Ivanovska emphasized the importance of this step as a matter of children's right to receive greetings in their native language: “...the right of Ukrainian children to receive Christmas greetings in their native language is taken into account.”
How to write a letter to Santa Claus from Ukraine or abroad
The official address of Santa Claus' Main Post Office in Finland (Rovaniemi, Arctic Circle) is published on the website of the Finnish postal service Posti:
Santa Claus' Main Post Office Tähtikuja 1, 96930 Arctic Circle, FINLAND
Practical tips
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Write in Ukrainian (this is now directly supported by the initiative described in the official announcement).
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Include a return address (so that a reply can be delivered).
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Send your letter in advance, as international mail can take longer, especially during peak season.