OVERVIEW OF REFERRALS TO THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS & FAQ
FOR REFERRING AGENCIES

Thank you for your interest in referring a family to The Magic of Christmas! Below you’ll find important information regarding our referral process, what we do at The Magic of Christmas and the eligibility of families for visits.

WHO:

…can be referred?

Any family who could use some extra Christmas cheer this year and would benefit from a visit from Santa and his elves this Christmas! Note: As we have a large number of referrals each year and are unable to visit them all, we prioritize families with children.

…can refer families?

Any individual who is part of an organization that has been approved and added to our system. After requesting our referral form, you will either receive a link to our online referral form, or we will be in contact with you. Please note, you must use an email address associated with the organization you’re a part of in order to receive the referral form, and each individual at the organization must be entered into our system and submit referral forms under their own name.

WHAT:

…what do we do at The Magic of Christmas?

Once a referral is received, we check that the referral is complete, contact the main contact for the referred family to confirm the details contained in the referral, and our warehouse elves pack up a few gifts for each memory of the family. In the week leading up to Christmas, we schedule all of Santa’s bus routes, and the family will receive an email notifying them of which bus will be visiting them, and the time frame of the visit. On Christmas Eve (December 24) approximately 52 Calgary Transit buses are loaded with gifts and depart our warehouse with Santa and his team of elves on board to visit more than 700 families across the City of Calgary.

…what information do we need in your referral?

When submitting a referral, please ensure the referral form is filled out in it’s entirety, with as much detail as possible. The referral form requires: an explanation of why the family should receive a visit this Christmas, the family’s last name, the family’s full adresses (where they will be on Christmas Eve), a phone number for the family, an email address for the famliy, and finally, the names, ages, and wants/needs (including sizes and preferences) of all members of the household.

WHERE:

…where do we visit?

Anywhere in Calgary city limits. Unfortunately, we’re unable to visit families outside of Calgary or in Tsuut’ina.

WHEN:

…when can families be referred?

Referrals open on October 1 and close on December 11 and 6:00 pm. Only emergency referrals can be submitted past December 11 at 6:00pm.

…when do we decide who will be receiving a visit?

We try to process our referrals as soon as possible once received, though we do not process referrals in order they have been received. If there is a particular reason we are unable to visit a family, we will try to contact them as soon as possible to let them know. If we are unable to visit a family due to the number of referrals exceeding our capacity, we will notify families via email by December 22.

…when do we visit families?

All families we will be visiting are visited on Christmas Eve (December 24) after 7:00 am. Unfortuantely we are unable to visit, or provide gifts, to families on any other day.

HOW:

…how do families receive a visit?

Each family we visit on Christmas Eve needs to be referred by an individual from an organization we’ve approved.

…how does someone refer a family?

In order to refer a family you will need to request a copy a copy of our referral form, and then fill out our referral form in its entirety, online. All referrals must be submitting using our online form. We are unable to accept referrals via mail, email, or phone.

OTHER IMPORTANT REFERRAL INFORMATION

• Families are only eligible to be visited once every 3 years. If any members of the referred family have had a visit from The Magic of Christmas in 2020, 2021 or 2022, they are unable to receive a visit from us in 2023.
• We prioritize families, especially families with young children. While families containing only adults are not excluded from being visited by The Magic of Christmas, we do choose to visit families with young children that have been referred to us first.
• Families must be available all day on Christmas Eve. As we visit a large number of families across the City, we are unable to determine the exact time we will be visiting a family. While we can make note and attempt to visit during a certain time of day in exceptional circumstances, we will unfortunately need to cancel the visit for any family who is unable to be home, or is not home, when we arrive should we try to visit them on Christmas Eve.
• We cannot visit every family that is referred to us. We kindly request that you do not promise a visit to any family you refer, as we are simply unable to visit every family that is referred to us. We may receive upwards of 1,400 referrals in a Christmas season and are only able to visit approximately 800 of those families.
• You can check the status of your referrals on our website. Please visit themagicofchristmas.org/visit-status/ to check the status of your referral. While we do try to work through the referrals as quickly as possible, it may take several weeks to process your referral, and they are not necessarily processed in the order they are received.
• Please fill out the referral form in its entirety. Though we have allowed incomplete referral forms in the past, referrals may now be rejected for insufficient information. Please ensure you include background information on why the family should receive a visit from us, the names and ages of all of the members of the household, and information about gifts they could benefit from.
• When filling out the referral form, please use your own name rather than the name of another individual from your organization. In the event we need to contact you regarding your referral, this ensures the correct person is contacted. If you would like to add your name, or the name of someone else from your organization, to our system to submit referrals, please fill out our referral request form at themagicofchristmas.org/referrals or send an email to referrals@themagicofchristmas.org including the name of the organization, the name of the individual(s) who should be added, the individual’s(s’) phone number and the individual’s(s’) email address.

Referral FAQs

If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out to our referrals team at Referrals@themagicofchristmas.org!