Gmail Sponsors Christmas Phone Call from Santa

By Gilbert Falso :: 3:09 AM

Have a kid in your life who would love to pick up the telephone and hear Santa Claus on the other end? Well thanks to the folks at Google and Gmail, you can arrange such a surprise this Christmas.

The search giant is allowing people to spread some holiday cheer to friends and loved ones with a personalized phone call or video from the big guy at the North Pole.

Point your browser to SendACallFromSanta.com and step through a series of questions to personalize your call. You’ll be able to select the gender, name, nickname, hobbies, favorite foods and toy requests for your recipient, as well as a few other parameters. You can also set the number that appears on the Caller ID. Here’s a tip – (726) 822-5287 – spells out “Santa Claus.” Just let the kids know that the 726 area code covers the North Pole!

After you’ve filled out all the information, you’ll have a chance to review the message and listen to it. As soon as you submit it, the phone will ring for your lucky little one. One word of warning – Google does add a short line about the call being sponsored by Gmail. Younger children might not notice, but if you have an older one, you might want to have a back story ready about Google’s involvement with Santa!