How to Make an AI Santa Video of Your Christmas Tree

Every December, the same question hangs over the living room: were they naughty, or were they nice? For generations the answer lived only in a parent’s knowing smile. Now you can put it on screen. An AI Santa video takes one ordinary photo of your tree and turns it into an animated verdict you can play back, record reactions to, and share. Here’s exactly how to make one.

What you’ll need

• An iPhone running iOS 17.0 or later
• A Christmas tree — any tree, from grand to Charlie-Brown
• A few spare minutes and a sense of humor

Step 1 — Snap your tree

Open Sleighed and take a photo of your tree. You don’t need perfect lighting or a perfect tree. The AI reads the shape, the ornaments, and the glow, then builds the animation around what it sees. A slightly messy, lived-in tree often makes the best video.

Step 2 — Choose their fate

This is the fork in the sleigh-road. Pick Nice and Santa arrives with warmth, light, and presents. Pick Naughty and… let’s just say a certain green visitor has entered the chat. You can always make both and decide later which one to show.

Step 3 — Let the magic render

Your animation processes in the cloud, so you can close the app and go make cocoa. Most videos are ready in about 5–7 minutes, and Sleighed sends a push notification the moment yours is done.

Step 4 — Record the reaction

This is the part the internet actually wants. Gather the family, play the verdict, and film their faces. Save the video to your Photos library and share it anywhere — the family group chat will never be the same.

Tips for a better verdict

• Shoot the whole tree, top to base, for the richest animation.
• Turn the tree lights on — the AI loves the glow.
• Make a Naughty and a Nice version and play them back to back.

That’s it. One photo in, one piece of Christmas chaos out. Download Sleighed and find out the truth about this year’s tree.