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A Christmas bedtime story with your child in it
Type a name, pick what happens, and you get a story to read out loud tonight — the child is the one it happens to. Free, no sign-up, ready before they've finished brushing their teeth.
What happens in the story?
How the stories begin
Four stories to choose from. Here's the opening of each, with the name still to be filled in.
A flight with the reindeer
On the night before Christmas Eve, a small sound woke {name} — not a bump, not a creak, but the soft jingle of a harness being buckled somewhere very close by. {name} went to the window, and there on the roof of the house next door stood eight reindeer, steaming gently in the cold, and one empty space at the front where a ninth should have been.
A night in the toy workshop
{name} had gone to bed early, which was suspicious in itself, and had almost fallen asleep when the wardrobe door swung open and let out a smell of sawdust and hot chocolate. Beyond it was not the back of the wardrobe at all, but a workshop the size of a railway station, lit by a thousand small lamps, and absolutely full of noise.
Under the northern lights
The letter arrived without a stamp, which should have been the first clue. It said only: *Dress warmly. Look out of your window at eleven.* {name} read it four times, put on two jumpers, and at eleven exactly a sleigh came down through the snow above {city} as quietly as a cat crossing a carpet.
The letter that got lost
Somewhere between {city} and the North Pole, a letter had gone missing. Not lost in the post, exactly — more blown off course, tumbled between two hills, and finally caught in the branches of a tree where nobody would ever think to look. Santa noticed on the twenty-second of December, which is very late to notice anything.
Examples
Stories video (15–30 sec)
Full video (60–90 sec)
Why a story with the child's name in it works so well
Children between about three and eight are at the age where they test whether stories are about them or merely near them. A story where the hero shares their name, lives in their town and gets spoken to directly crosses that line — it stops being a story that is read to them and becomes something that happened. That's the whole mechanism, and it's why personalisation is worth more than length or plot at this age.
These four stories are written to be read out loud, which is a different job from being read silently. The sentences are shaped for a voice: they have places to slow down, one or two moments that work if you drop to a whisper, and an ending that settles rather than excites. Each takes roughly two minutes, which is about as long as a tired child will hold still.
Nothing here needs an account, an email or a download. Type a name, choose what happens, read it. If you want the version where Santa reads it himself, that's the paid part — but the free one is a complete bedtime story, not a teaser with the ending removed.
🎅 The same story, in Santa's actual voice
Reading it yourself is the free part and it works beautifully. But a child hearing Santa say their own name out loud, mention what they managed this year and wish them goodnight — that's the version they ask for again the next night, and the one they remember years later. Personalized audio and video in 29 languages.
More Christmas magic: Letter from Santa✦Naughty or Nice Test✦Elf on the Shelf Ideas
Christmas bedtime stories — FAQ
Is the story really free?
Yes — no account, no email, no download. Type a name, pick a story and read it on the screen or print it. The paid version is the audio one, where Santa reads it in his own voice.
What age are these stories for?
They're written for roughly three to eight. Younger children follow the pictures in their head better than the plot, so the sentences are short and concrete; by nine most children want a longer story with more happening, and these will feel gentle to them.
How long does one take to read?
About two minutes read aloud, unhurried. That's deliberate — long enough to feel like a proper story, short enough to finish before a tired child stops listening.
Can I use my child's town in the story?
Yes, and it's the detail that lands hardest. The town appears two or three times, so a child hears their own streets in a story about Santa. It's optional — leave it blank and the story still works.
Can I print the story?
Yes. There's a print button under the finished story, so you can keep it, tuck it into an advent calendar or send it to a grandparent to read on a call.
Is it a new story every time?
There are four stories, each one different, and every one is rebuilt around the name and town you enter. Most families read a different one each night over four nights rather than the same one four times.