How to get a recording of your child talking to Santa that you can keep

By the Santa Wishes team · Updated November 8, 2026 · Facts checked November 8, 2026 · How we check our guides

The simplest way is to book a Santa call that records it for you, then save your own copy. Santa Wishes includes the MP3 recording and a transcript with every call and keeps them for 30 days before deleting them, so the copy you save is the one you keep. You can also record a call or a visit yourself, but tell everyone first: some states, including California, make it a crime to record a confidential call without the consent of everyone on it.

Here are the practical options, how to save the file so it is still there next Christmas, and the consent rule in plain words.

Option 1: Book a Santa call that records it for you

This is the least fuss, because nobody has to manage a second phone while your child is talking. Here's how it works with Santa Wishes:

• Santa calls a US phone number for three to five minutes, and the recording is included.
• Before the call, you tell Santa your child's first name and age, their wish list, a good thing they did this year, something to gently encourage, and extras like a pet's name.
• Afterwards you get Santa's notes, with every wish in your child's own words and the one they want most, plus the MP3 recording and the transcript.
• The recording and transcript are yours for 30 days, then deleted.
• It's $19 per call. You can schedule a time, or press Call now when your child is ready.

The transcript is a quiet bonus. Years from now, "a red bike, really red, with a bell" reads like a time capsule, even if the audio is half giggles.

Save it the same day

Don't wait for the 30 days to run down. As soon as the call is over:

1. Play it once, all the way through, with your child if they're still awake.
2. Save the MP3 to your phone or computer.
3. Copy it to a second place, like cloud storage or a USB stick.
4. Keep the transcript and Santa's notes with it, printed or as files.
5. Give the file a clear name: your child's name, "Santa call" and the year.

Option 2: Record a phone call yourself

If Grandpa is playing Santa, or you're using a service that doesn't include a recording, your own phone may be able to record the call. Ask everyone on the call first, every time.

• iPhone. Apple's guide shows how to record a phone call when you're talking to one other person, then view the transcript of the call in the Notes app, if your iPhone offers call recording.
• Android. Google's Phone app can record calls, but only on certain devices and carriers. Google notes that some laws require all people on the call to consent to being recorded, and that people on the call are notified that it is being recorded.
• Any phone. If your phone can't record calls, put the call on speaker and record it with a voice recorder on a second device, with the same rule: everyone knows, and everyone agrees.

Asking takes five seconds: "Grandpa, I'd love to keep this one. Is it OK if I record the call?" It also means everyone is happy to hear the recording again later.

Option 3: Film the moments around the call

Often the best keepsake is your child's face: the dash to the phone, the wide eyes, the "Santa knows Biscuit!" afterwards. Film just before the phone rings and right after your child hangs up, and let the call's own recording hold the conversation. You get the expression and the words without filming the call itself.

Option 4: Film an in-person visit

At a mall, library or church breakfast, ask the organizers before you film, since rules vary from place to place. Start recording a few seconds early to catch the walk up to Santa, and stand where your child can still see you.

Recording and the law, in plain words

You don't need a law degree for a Santa call. You need one habit.

• Rules differ by state. Google's own help page puts it simply: some laws require all people on the call to consent to being recorded.
• California is one example. Its Penal Code section 632 makes it a crime to record a confidential communication, including one carried on by telephone, without the consent of all parties.
• The habit that keeps you safe: before you press record, tell everyone on the call that you're recording, and get their OK.
• A booked recording is simpler. When the recording comes with the call you booked, as it does with Santa Wishes, you don't need to run a recorder yourself.

This is general information, not legal advice. If you're unsure about the rules where you live, check your state's law or ask your state attorney general's office.

Turn the recording into a keepsake

• Pair it with a photo. Snap your child holding the phone, and keep the picture and the file together.
• Print the best line. One sentence from the transcript, framed or tucked into a card for a grandparent, says a lot.
• Give it a home. Keep a folder called "Santa calls" so each year's call lands next to the last one.

A keepsake checklist

• Save the file the day you get it.
• Keep two copies, in two different places.
• Name it with your child's name and the year.
• Keep the transcript or Santa's notes beside the audio.
• Send a copy to the grandparents.
• Set a reminder to play it again next Christmas Eve.

Year after year, these recordings become a small archive of how your child's voice, and their wishes, grew up.

Questions people ask

Sources

• Santa Wishes: a phone call from Santa santawishes.app
• California Penal Code section 632 california.public.law
• Use the Phone app to record calls (Google Phone app Help) support.google.com
• Record and transcribe a call on iPhone (Apple Support) support.apple.com