Santafive: Kicked off in 2021, the team of six Santas have been hosting an online Christmas party every December, inviting people across the internet to send messages to their close family and friends.

Their virtual Christmas tree service, “Color My Tree”, allows users to create their own interactive Christmas tree image and share a link to it with others, asking them to write messages and choose customisable ornaments to go along with them. The fun part is that the users cannot open the messages they receive until Christmas Day.

“We often take time selecting gifts for people we care about, don’t we?” Chloé, who works as a software engineer at Santafive, told 4i MAG. “I wanted to recreate that thoughtful experience in a digital form. It’s more than just a quick message – it’s a carefully chosen virtual gift,” she added.

Santafive:

Shortly after launch, the service welcomed more than 1.1 million peak concurrent users in December 2021. As of today, the company told 4i MAG that the service has greeted over 40 million users from more than 200 different countries over the past four years.

Except for the minimum cost required to operate the service – such as server maintenance and administrative meetings – the team has donated the entire profit earned from “Color My Tree”.

“After our first year, when users donated to help cover server costs, and we promised to donate any leftover funds after covering basic maintenance,” Chloé said. “That became our team motto – everything else is donated back to the community.”
Santafive members believe that the horizon of opportunities to make dreams come true has broadened with emerging technologies and that those involved in the industry should be aware of their responsibilities to society.
“Just as Santafive’s purpose has been recognised and supported by many, if you truly put your heart into what you’re creating, there will always be someone who sees and appreciates it,” Chloé said.