The main holiday of the year is approaching and on the eve of the new year, regardless of age, many of us believe in miracles. Long before the holiday, adults begin to go to New Year's fairs in search of gifts, and children write letters to Santa Claus. Letters can be sent both before the new year and a few weeks after the holiday.
Letters with your requests and wishes can be sent not only to Russian Santa Claus, but also to Finnish Yollopuki, French Pierre Noel, American Santa Claus or Belarusian Dzed Maroz. Wherever you write a letter, you will definitely get a response with New Year's greetings and good wishes. Or maybe even a gift.
But in order for the greetings from the New Year's wizard to return to you, you need to follow the simple rules for writing a New Year's letter. As mentioned above, you can write to any of the listed wizards. Most often they write in English, and ideally it would be desirable that the letter be in the native language of the wizard. If you are going to write to Finland, it is better, of course, to write in Finnish. If to France, then in French.
First of all, at the beginning of the letter, you need to say hello to Santa Claus. Congratulate him on the upcoming holiday and wish him good health.
Next, you need to tell a little about yourself, about your family, about what you do. If you draw well, then be sure to put your drawing in the envelope with the letter. Or maybe you have your own poem about the New Year, you can also write it in a letter. And only then can you state your request in a letter. Tell us about the gift you want to receive for the New Year. It is also important to describe the reason why you want to receive this gift.
On New Year's Eve, thousands of letters and telegrams arrive in the mail to Santa Claus, and so that among these letters he can find yours and personally answer it, you need to try very hard.
It must be remembered that if you start demanding a gift in a rude form in a letter, then you can never get an answer. And if the letter is written with soul and love, then your chances of getting a gift will increase.
To write a letter correctly, you need to follow a simple plan for writing a letter to Santa Claus.
- Greetings.
- Congratulations to Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden on the coming New Year.
- A short story about yourself and your family.
- Describe your accomplishments over the past year.
- A detailed description of the gift you want to receive.
- Say how much you love and respect Santa Claus and politely say goodbye to him.
- Attach a self-addressed envelope.
Now let's try to briefly understand each point. Greeting on 2-3 lines no more. It is advisable to say hello not only to the grandfather, but also to all his assistants.
At the achievement point, do not try to show off or exaggerate your achievements, as grandfather does not like braggarts and liars. And almost never responds to such children. But it is imperative to talk about your achievements, Santa Claus loves purposeful and hardworking children who are trying to achieve their goals.
And now, when you have told in detail about yourself, you can begin to describe the gift that you would like to receive for this holiday.
Of course, you need to ask for only one gift, the most desired most desired. And give a detailed description of the gift, tell why you deserve this gift.
After describing the gift, you need to politely thank the wizard for the previous gifts that he gave you and say goodbye. It will not be superfluous to once again wish you good health and congratulate you on the upcoming or already coming new year.
Sample letters to grandfather from children aged 6-11 for him to answer and send gifts
Hello Dedushka Moroz! Olya is writing to you. I am 9 years old. I live in the Krasnodar Territory in the village of Severskaya. I congratulate you on the upcoming New Year and wish you more health and happiness in the coming year. Thank you for the gifts you brought me before. I love to draw and play board games. I dream of getting a set of felt-tip pens with sparkles. I promise to be an obedient girl for a whole year. I look forward to meeting you.
Greetings, Santa Claus! Kolenka is writing to you from Moscow. I'm 10 years old. This year I moved to the fifth grade, I study well and obey my mom and dad. I like to play hockey. I really want to get a kitten for the New Year, my parents don't mind, I asked. I hope you make my dream come true. I promise that in the coming year I will also behave diligently and study for one five. Goodbye!
Greetings, Santa Claus! Sashenka is writing to you from St. Petersburg. This year I moved to the third grade, I try to study well and obey my parents. I like to play football and volleyball. I really want to get a little puppy for the New Year holidays. I hope you make this dream come true. I promise to behave in the coming year diligently and study perfectly. I wish you good health and Happy New Year. Goodbye!
Santa Claus, I miss you! How are you? My name is Ann. I am already 6 years old. Recently, my brother Zhenya was born. I go to kindergarten. I have many friends there. I draw well. This year I learned to read and roller skate. I want Vadik to stop fighting in the kindergarten. And also a tent, so that she would stand in my room, and I would hide there. Thanks a lot.
Templates and letterheads
In order for your letter to Grandpa to be sure to notice it, you need to make it different from everyone else. In other words, you need to make sure that your letter attracts attention, thereby increasing your chances that Santa Claus will definitely answer it. 
Ideally, it is best to do the design of the letter with your own hands. Since Frost loves hardworking children very much, but if you can’t do anything with your crayfish, you can take our secret templates and write a letter on these templates, which will also make your letter different from the rest.
Official address of Santa Claus
And so the letter is written, now the matter remains small, you need to find out the exact address of Santa Claus. Most children think that Grandfather lives in the north or in Moscow, but this is far from the case. Our magician lives in the Vologda region in Veliky Ustyug, where he has a real residence where letters from all over the world come.
- 162390, Vologda region, Veliky Ustyug, Santa Claus post office. You can also send an email to Dedshka's mail where they will definitely read and respond to it. www.pochta-dm.ru/letter/.
Well, if you want to write a letter to other Santa Clauses, here are the addresses of several of his brothers from other countries.
- USA Santa Claus (Santa Claus) Two offices: North Pole Holiday Postmark, Postmaster, 4141 Postmark Dr, Anchorage, AK 99530-9998,
- USA | Santa Claus House, 101 St. Nicholas Drive, North Pole, Alaska 99705, USA
- Finland Joulupukki (Joulupukki) 01001, Santa Claus, Post office Arctic circle, 96930, Rovaniemi, Finland.
- France Père Noël (Pierre Noel) Père Noël, Rue des nuages, Pole Nord, 33500 Libourne, France.
- Belarus. Ded Moroz Residence of Ded Moroz, 225063, p. Kamenyuki, Kamenetsky district, Brest region, Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Belarus.
And now a little parting word for adults. Dear adults, you can also write your letter to Santa Claus with your child. It is possible that he will read your letter and fulfill your most cherished desire. Many eventually cease to believe in miracles, as the work almost completely absorbs you. But everyone knows that in our hearts we are still the same children, only our desires and toys are completely different. Try writing a letter with your child.
It doesn’t matter how old you are and what post you occupy, it is important to maintain faith in a miracle. After all, any person will be pleased to find his little gift under the tree. And it does not matter who will play the role of a wizard. The main thing is to keep faith in a miracle for our children and for ourselves. I congratulate everyone on the upcoming New Year and wish everyone more peace, kindness and positive. Good New Year to all and the fulfillment of all cherished desires.
November 9, 2018
New Year. For more than one hundred years, it has remained the most fabulous and most long-awaited holiday on the entire planet. Children all over the world write letters to Santa Claus in the hope of receiving a treasured gift. Usually these letters are read by parents and they themselves give the declared gift in the letter, because they do not believe that Santa Claus exists, but he really exists and really answers children's letters.
Even if you are a little late with the letter and did not write it before the new year, you can do it after, since the post office is open all year round. And all year round Grandfather answers letters. In this article, I will talk about how to write a letter to Santa Claus in order to at least receive a response letter from him, and maybe even a gift.
By the way, you can send letters not only to Veliky Ustyug where the residence of the Russian Father Frost is located, you can also write to his other colleagues, for example: Finnish Yollopuki, French Pierre Noel, American Santa Claus or Belarusian Dzed Maroz, and maybe even Tatar Kysh-Babai. And I have their real real addresses. You can even write to everyone to increase your chances of a gift.
And so, in order to get an answer, you need to correctly draw up and write that very cherished letter, and in order to do this correctly, you need to adhere to the plan of the letter.
First of all, at the beginning of the letter, you need to congratulate Grandfather on the upcoming New Year, wish him health and strength.
If you want to write a letter to all Santa Clauses, then it is better to write it in English. Ideally, of course, it's best to write in the wizard's native language. Here are a few phrases to start your letter with. In Russian it will be like this, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
In French Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année!
In Finnish Hyvää Joulua ja Onnellista Uutta Vuotta!
In German, Fröhliche Weihnachten und ein schönes Neues Jahr!
In English Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
In Tatar Rashtua һәm Yaңa ate belan.
After the greeting, you will need to write about who you are, where you live, what you love most and what gift you want to receive. And it's better to do it in a polite manner.
Before the holiday, thousands of letters from all over the globe come to the mail to wizards. And you need to write such a letter so that he would definitely choose it from a thousand, read it and answer it. But here, of course, you need to try.
When writing a letter, you should not ask and demand a gift in a rude way, since you may never get an answer. You need to put a piece of your soul into this letter, write with love and respect. And then the chances of a response letter will really increase.
Now I propose to get acquainted with a short plan for writing a letter to Santa Claus.
- Greetings.
- Congratulations to Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden on the upcoming or New Year.
- Briefly describe yourself and your family.
- Be sure to tell about what you have achieved this year.
- Now you can tell and describe your desired gift.
- Tell about how you love and respect Santa Claus, wish him long life and politely say goodbye.
- Attach a self-addressed envelope.
The greeting should not be long and drawn out. 2-3 lines will be enough for a greeting. In it you need to say hello to the wizard himself and his assistants. And also wish everyone a Happy New Year.
In the paragraph briefly about yourself. Tell us what your name is, where you live, what kind of family you have, what class you go to or where you work, what you like to do. If you additionally go to a music or sports school, be sure to mention it.
Tell us what goals you set for the past year and what results you got. Santa Claus loves purposeful children and adults who are trying to achieve their goals and results. You can also tell at this point about what you want to achieve next year. Share your dreams and secrets.
Now that you are practically familiar, you can begin describing your desired gift. Describe it in all possible colors and of course about why you need it and why exactly you need this gift.
Next, thank Grandpa for sending you presents last year. Wish good health to him and his huge team of assistants. Happy New Year and say goodbye.
You can also attach a drawing to the letter or write poems about the New Year and Santa Claus or about his assistants.
Please include a self-addressed envelope in order to receive a response. What exactly would he say to you?
This is of course an approximate plan for writing a letter and one hundred percent does not need to be followed. The plan is like a recommendation. You can write only 2-3 lines and get a gift, or you can write 2-3 sheets and get nothing. The most important thing is that the letter be written with love and warmth.
Sample letters to grandfather from children 6-11 years old
Below are some real letters that children and adults sent and received answers to their letters.
Hello Dedushka Moroz! Lena is writing to you. I'm 10 years old. I live in the Krasnodar Territory in the village. Ilsky. we have a big family, we have aunt and uncle and grandparents, only they are very old. I congratulate you on the upcoming New Year and wish you more health, happiness and a lot of sweets next year. Thank you for the gifts you brought me before. I love to draw, play board games and sing. My dream is to get a new microphone and synthesizer because the old synthesizer broke down. I promise to be an obedient girl for a whole year and obey parents and adults. Looking forward to meeting you Lena S.
Greetings, Santa Claus! Kolenka is writing to you from Krasnodar. I'm 10 years old. This year I moved to the fifth grade, I study well and obey my mom and dad. I like to play hockey and run. In the summer, I play hockey with my dad on the Sony PlayStation. Please send a new prefix and a brother. I hope you make my dream come true. I promise that in the coming year I will also behave diligently and study for one five. Goodbye!
Greetings, Santa Claus! Alena is writing to you from St. Petersburg. This year I moved to the third grade, I try to study well and obey my parents. I like to play volleyball. For the New Year holidays, I really want to get a new volleyball and a phone. I hope you make this dream come true. I promise to behave in the coming year diligently and study perfectly. I wish you good health and Happy New Year. Goodbye!
Santa Claus, I miss you! How are you? My name is Sveta. I am already 16 years old. Recently, my brother Zhenya was born. I go to school. I have many friends there. I draw well. This year I learned to roller skate. I want Vadik Petrov to pay attention to me at school and we started dating. And I also want dad to quickly face off with mom and they again began to live together. if you are a real wizard, make sure that they never quarrel again and always live together. I love you very much and wish you a Happy New Year.
Templates and forms of letters to Santa Claus
In order for your letter to stand out from a bunch of others, you need to write it so that it was noticeable from afar. You can write it in red ink or on a colorful piece of paper. Arrange something unusual. Below are templates that you can download and print. Or you can leave me a mail in the comments and I will send you a selection of beautiful envelopes.
Of course, ideally, it is best to make a letter with your own hands, since all wizards are very fond of such letters. But if you can’t do anything yourself, then you can of course take our secret templates and write a letter on them.
Official address of Santa Claus
Well, now you know how to correctly and beautifully decorate your message. Next, you need to seal it in an envelope and sign the address. Many kids believe that Santa Claus lives in the north or in Moscow, but this is not so, a real wizard lives in the Volgograd region in Veliky Ustyug. There he has a real tower and a whole kingdom where all sent letters go.
162390, Vologda region, Veliky Ustyug, Santa Claus post office. You can also send an email to Dedshka's mail where they will definitely read and respond to it. www.pochta-dm.ru/letter/.
Well, if you want to write a letter to other Santa Clauses, here are the addresses of several of his brothers from other countries.
USA Santa Claus (Santa Claus) Two offices: North Pole Holiday Postmark, Postmaster, 4141 Postmark Dr, Anchorage, AK 99530-9998,
USA | Santa Claus House, 101 St. Nicholas Drive, North Pole, Alaska 99705, USA
Finland Joulupukki (Joulupukki) 01001, Santa Claus, Post office Arctic circle, 96930, Rovaniemi, Finland.
France Père Noël (Pierre Noel) Père Noël, Rue des nuages, Pole Nord, 33500 Libourne, France.
Belarus. Ded Moroz Residence of Ded Moroz, 225063, p. Kamenyuki, Kamenetsky district, Brest region, Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Belarus.
And now a little parting word for adults. Dear adults, you can also write your letter to Santa Claus with your child. It is possible that he will read your letter and fulfill your most cherished desire. Many eventually cease to believe in miracles, as the work almost completely absorbs you. But everyone knows that in our hearts we are still the same children, only our desires and toys are completely different. Try writing a letter with your child.
It doesn’t matter how old you are and what post you hold, it is important to believe in a miracle. After all, any person will be pleased to find his little gift under the tree. And it does not matter who will play the role of a wizard, he or someone else. The main thing is to keep faith in a miracle for our children and for ourselves. I congratulate everyone on the upcoming New Year and wish everyone more peace, kindness and positive. Good New Year 2020 to all and the fulfillment of all your cherished desires.
There are several general rules for writing a letter to Santa Claus. In short, the structure looks like this: a greeting, some information about yourself and at the end - specific gifts that you want to see under the tree. Now we will analyze these three stages in separate steps so that you help your child write a letter to the wizard correctly.
Step 1. Politely say hello
First you need to say hello to Grandpa. You can choose any form: “Hello, Santa Claus!”, “Good health, Santa Claus!” or “Hi, Santa Claus!”. The main thing is to remain polite.
After the greeting, take an interest in Grandfather's health. Just write in the first lines: “How are you, Grandpa? Hope all is well." The wizard will be pleased that you care about him.
Step 2. Tell about yourself
In a few sentences, you need to say what your name is, how old you are and what city you are from. You can write about your hobbies and studies. And also tell us what interesting things happened during the year.
Step 3. Ask for gifts
Before listing the list of desired gifts, politely thank Santa Claus for last year's gifts. Describe to him how happy you were to find them on New Year's Eve under the tree.
And now you can ask for a gift for this New Year. Try to limit yourself to a list of two or three gifts. And do not forget about your family and friends: ask something nice for them too.
Step 4. Politely Say Goodbye
At the end of the letter, congratulate Grandfather Frost on the upcoming New Year. Wish him health, happiness, miracles and kindness. Do not forget to congratulate also his granddaughter - the Snow Maiden.
Step 5. Make a gift to Santa Claus
Grandpa will also be happy to receive a gift from you. You can attach your drawings, poems or other crafts to the letter. Do your work with soul: the wizard will keep it for years to come.
Step 6. Sign your name and address
To end the letter, in the lower right corner, sign: "All the best!" or "Happy New Year!", and below - your name. On the envelope, be sure to correctly indicate your full postal address with an index and the address of Santa Claus.
Usually, it is on December 4 in many countries of the world that post offices begin to provide services for sending letters to Santa Claus (Santa Claus, Yollupukki or Pere Noel). Somewhere even special post offices are opened.
Every year, Russian Grandfather Frost receives thousands of envelopes with letters. Also emails.
Letter from our colleague
By the way, Media Center correspondent Olga Ulyanova tested on herself how to get an answer from Father Frost. Last year, she sent the first letter of her life to the winter wizard. The fairy-tale character even invited her to his residence. How it was, read in the materials: Checked for yourself: how I received an answer from Santa Claus and Santa Claus read the letter from the oskolchanka and invited her to visit.
Santa Claus reads letters
Photo: manor-grandfather frost.rf
Where to send a letter?
The domestic Santa Claus has a Moscow estate - a magical corner in the Kuzminsky forest. Olga was there. She notes that Grandfather and his assistants are very attentive to the children's letters.
In order to get a real answer from Santa Claus, we recommend writing to the Moscow Estate.
Where: 109472, Moscow, Kuzminsky forestTo: Santa Claus
You can also contact Santa Claus online.
“I am very happy with every letter I receive! Now each of us has a magical phone or computer that connects us in the blink of an eye at the farthest distances.”, writes the grandfather on his website.
You can write a letter and attach a picture at this link:https://dedmorozmos.ru/letters-to-santa-claus/ .
There you can also find the regulation on the competition "The best letter to Santa Claus." The winners are invited to the residence.
1. First you need to say hello. You can write in a letter “Hello, Santa Claus!”, “Good health, Santa Claus!” or simply "Hi, Santa Claus!". The main thing is to be polite.2. Tell us a little about yourself. You need to introduce yourself, say what your name is, how old you are and in what city you live. You can write what you are fond of, what interesting things happened to you this year. Do not forget to ask about the health of Santa Claus. It would be polite to thank him for last year's gifts.
3. Describe some of your good deeds over the past year, your dreams, or maybe even secrets.
4. And now it's time to ask for a gift and make wishes! It doesn't have to be something big and expensive. Limit yourself to a list of two or three gifts. Think about family and friends. Wish something good for them.
5. At the end of the letter, congratulate Grandfather Frost on the upcoming New Year and Christmas. You can wish him “Good health”, “Happiness”, “Snowy winter”, “Fast horses”, “Intricate miracles”. You can also send congratulations to the Snow Maiden and postal snowmen. Then write your name or sign.
New Year is the time of the most cherished desires. Children write a variety of letters in the hope of getting a dream gift. Different children have different desires and hopes. Each child has unique letters. Here are some examples of letters. Some children care not only about themselves, but also about all those close to them. There are also those who do not ask for surprises in the hope that another baby will become happy, perhaps located on the other side of the Earth.
Letter to Santa Claus - sample text
Hello Dedushka Moroz. My name is Vasya. I go to kindergarten and get ready for school. I have heard so much about you and read in books. My cherished desire is to see you on our Christmas tree, and I also want you to come to our house. We will decorate the most beautiful Christmas tree and celebrate the New Year. Give me, please, skis and a phone and sweets. I want to learn to ski fast like my brother. He is the champion of the city in cross-country skiing.
See you soon, I wish you health and happiness.
“The best Santa Claus, my name is Maria. I am 7 years old. You can bring me chess, a touchscreen phone with a case for it, and sandals. And for mom the most beautiful bracelet made of gold with diamonds. And dad, and dad has a mom. He is also the happiest. I also promise to continue to obey my parents, to study for one five. By giving us all this, you will make the world a little happier. I wish you all the very best, especially unquenchable love, generosity, kindness and strength. With love, Maria!
Dear Santa Claus, I am looking forward to your arrival. Before the New Year, together with my parents, I will decorate the Christmas tree, prepare a surprise for you and learn a rhyme. Next year I promise to study well, be polite and kind. I really want you to please me with sweets and a radio-controlled car. Dima.
“Dear and kind Santa Claus! You are the best. My name is Katya. I dream of learning how to snowboard, but my parents can't get me one. Frost, give me, pliz, a snowboard. I do not swear and I do all the given lessons and even more. I, like you, love snow. But this year we don't have it. And if it’s not so difficult for you, grab some more snow so that the best holiday will pass like the most wonderful time. I really hope that the letter has reached you and I look forward to seeing you. I wish you lots and lots of strength. Sincerely, Ekaterina!
Greetings, Santa Claus! Nastenka is writing to you from Moscow. This year I moved to the fourth grade, I study well and obey my mom and dad. I like dancing. I really want to get a kitten for the New Year, my parents don't mind, I asked. I hope you make my dream come true. I promise that in the coming year I will behave diligently and study for one five. Goodbye!
“Grandfather Frost, hello. My name is Lenya. I love collecting different parts. Please, give me a big designer for the holiday. And then I don’t have my own only in the kindergarten and with a friend. And I want mine. I also have a sister who is 3 years old. Her name is Masha. Bring a gift for her too, a handbag. And then my mother has a bag, but Masha does not. Can I visit you sometime in the north? Ride reindeer together. I also love to sing, come over as soon as possible, I'll tell you a poem and sing a song. Dear Santa Claus, we are waiting for you very much. With love and respect, Leonid!
“Beloved and beautiful Santa Claus! My name is Serezha. I have been waiting for the holiday for a very long time. I've been preparing for a whole year. I'm really looking forward to you. You are the kindest in the world and you can fulfill the most cherished desire. I won't keep you long. I'll just tell a rhyme, you'll give me a gift and that's it. You will have time to visit other children to give happiness. I want us to have a sister. Can you please make mom pregnant. And I will have a sister. I will love her very much, as well as my parents. I will protect her from all hooligans and make sure that she is always happy. I don't ask for anything more. I will share with all the toys, even with the most beloved ones. Just give it to us. We will write letters to you together and tell you how we live. Sincerely, your Sergey. We are waiting for you!"
Hello Santa Claus! Hello, Snow Maiden, snowmen and bunnies!
Happy holiday to you. May your year be successful and happy.
This year I behaved well, did not fight with the boys, did not offend my parents and helped wash the dishes. I also cleaned up after myself toys and clothes. Grandpa, please give me a dog. I will love her very much. I promise to feed and walk her. Thanks in advance. I believe that you will help fulfill my cherished desire.
"Hello Dedushka Moroz! My name is Nastenka, I am 7 years old. My parents and I live in St. Petersburg.
I really like this city because it is beautiful and interesting. This year I moved to the second grade, I study well, and my parents often praise me.
I really enjoy dancing and playing the piano. I also weave beaded baubles. This New Year, I would really like to receive a little fluffy kitten from you as a gift, I will take care of him and love him! Mom and dad don't mind, so I want to ask you to make my dream come true! I really look forward to your answer, with respect Nastya.
Hello dear Santa Claus! Sasha is writing to you from Moscow. I am 9 years old, I am in the third grade, I bring good grades and always obey my father and mother. I love mathematics, drawing and go to music school. This year I helped my mother take care of my little sister. I dream that you will give me a teddy bear and a beautiful doll. I am very grateful to you for the gift you brought me last year. I'm really looking forward to meeting you! Best regards, Alexandra.
"Hello Dedushka Moroz. My name is Kirill. I am 8. I love my parents and also football and walking. I know that you have a lot to do on New Year's Eve, so if you can't come to me with a gift and bring what I want, then it's okay. Just know that I am like that and I wish you a lot of strength to have time to make gifts to the whole world in 6 hours. I hope that you will have time to please all the children. Suddenly you will have time to visit me, I will be glad, and if not, I will not be offended. I will know that the other kid got what he wanted. Merry Christmas! P.s., Cyril.
"Good Santa Claus! My name is Vasya. I'm in my 5th year. We don't have a dad yet. I don’t ask you for a dad, because my mom is beautiful and will find us the best dad in the world, then. And now I want a car. I don’t ask my mother, because I’m a man and I shouldn’t ask my mother about such things. When I grow up, I'll buy us cars - real ones. And now I recognize the device of the machine. Therefore, please grant me a machine that is controlled from the remote control. P.s., Vasily.
"Hello Dedushka Moroz! My name is Tolya. I am 6 years old. This year I went to first grade. I really hope it's not too cold in your north. My dad and mom and I will soon come running to you, we will live in the neighborhood. My parents are the coolest, so I don't need gifts. I want to ask you just one thing. You can give me a warm coat. I love snow and skating, but I get cold very quickly. And my mother rarely lets me go outside. And all the guys are out there. And I want them too. Please help me. I promise to study well and obey my parents, just to go out with my friends. I wish you a lot of strength in order to make gifts for everyone. With respect, Tolik!
Letters are written on different paper, different colors of felt-tip pens, pens and pencils. The letters are also decorated with homemade drawings and applications.
