How the North Pole website uses AI and information.
Here is the plain-language version of what leaves the device, what stays in the browser, and where a grown-up should help.
The games mostly stay on the device. Chat, voice, letters, and booking requests use outside services to work. Please supervise children and teach them to share only a first name, never an address, school, phone number, password, photo, or other identifying details.
Chat with Santa
Santa’s replies are created with artificial intelligence.
When someone types or speaks a free-form message, the current message and up to the 12 most recent complete chat exchanges are sent through Santa Oliver’s server to Anthropic. Anthropic’s Claude service creates Santa’s reply.
The Santa Oliver app does not put chat messages in its browser storage or a Santa Oliver chat database. The conversation is held in the open page so Santa can follow along. Anthropic processes the messages as the AI service provider under its own service terms and data practices.
Microphone & Santa’s voice
Speaking and listening use two different services.
If the microphone button is available and used, the web browser on the visitor’s own phone, tablet, or computer uses its built-in speech service to turn the visitor’s audio into text. The company that provides that browser, operating system, or device may process the audio as part of speech recognition. Santa Oliver receives the resulting text transcript, not the original microphone recording, and sends that text through the same AI chat flow described above.
When Santa’s voice is turned on, only Santa’s generated reply text is sent to ElevenLabs to create spoken audio. A child’s typed or audio message is never sent to ElevenLabs. Frequently reused Santa audio may be cached as MP3 files on Santa Oliver’s server; the cache is not publicly browsable. Some fixed greetings and answers are prerecorded and play locally without contacting ElevenLabs.
Microphone access requires browser permission. Typing always remains an option, and Santa’s voice can be muted with the speaker button.
Write a Letter to Santa
Letters are real submissions, not a pretend game.
Sending a letter transmits the letter text, the child’s first name, and an optional grown-up email address through Google-hosted form and email services so it can be delivered to Santa Oliver. If a grown-up email is supplied, Santa may use it to write back.
Those messages can remain in Santa Oliver’s email records until they are deleted. Ask a grown-up before sending. Do not include a last name, home address, school, phone number, password, photo, or details about when a child is home.
Book Santa
Booking information is for arranging a visit.
The adult booking form sends the selected package, requested date and time, event type, city and venue, attendance details, alternate date, name, email, optional phone number, and notes through Google-hosted form, calendar, and email services. The information is used to review the request, check scheduling, create calendar records, and send request or confirmation emails.
Booking information is not used for advertising or sold. Please include only details needed to arrange the visit. Avoid placing sensitive child information in the notes field.
What stays on this browser
Games remember progress with local browser storage.
The Elf Training Academy stores activity progress and preferences on the device so a visitor can continue later. This can include map stars and collectibles, coloring progress, found reindeer and best times, the daily star, saved snowmen, sound and voice settings, and a first name used on a printable reindeer certificate.
This local game data is not uploaded by those activities. It remains in that browser until the visitor clears the site’s browser data. The short Academy entrance animation also uses temporary session storage so it does not replay unnecessarily.
Chat messages, letter text, and booking form details are not saved in this local game storage.
Choices & questions
A grown-up stays in control.
- Children can enjoy the local games without using chat, microphone, letters, or booking.
- Use typing instead of the microphone, mute Santa’s voice, or deny microphone permission in the browser.
- Do not submit a letter or booking request if you do not want that information sent.
- Clear Santa Oliver’s site data in the browser to remove locally stored game progress and preferences.
- Close or refresh the Academy page to end the in-page chat history.
Questions or a request about information already submitted? Email yoursanta1951@gmail.com.
Last updated August 18, 2026. This page describes the website’s current implementation and will be updated when those features change.