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ChatGPT rolls out Christmas Easter egg that turns selfies into Santa videos
The feature has not been formally announced by OpenAI and appears to be a seasonal addition designed to showcase Sora’s capabilities.
The feature has not been formally announced by OpenAI and appears to be a seasonal addition designed to showcase Sora’s capabilities.
OpenAI has quietly rolled out a festive Easter egg within ChatGPT that allows users to generate a personalised Christmas video message from Santa Claus by sending a single emoji, according to social media posts by OpenAI chief executive officer Sam Altman and user reports online.
The feature surfaced after Sam Altman shared a cryptic post on X, formerly Twitter, over the weekend, encouraging users to try ChatGPT with just one emoji. Users soon discovered that sending the gift box emoji prompted the chatbot to ask for a selfie, setting off a hidden workflow that leads to the creation of a customised Christmas video.
here is a little hint: ????
— Sam Altman (@sama) December 20, 2025
Once a selfie is uploaded or captured, ChatGPT routes the image to Sora, OpenAI’s video generation model, which then creates a short festive clip within approximately five minutes. In the video, Santa Claus appears on screen, addresses the user directly and delivers a playful year-in-review message. The tone and outcome vary depending on whether the system deems the user to have been nice or naughty, with some users receiving praise and virtual gifts, while others are humorously handed coal or impractical presents.
The videos are entirely AI-generated, with Sora handling the visuals, narrative and tone of the message. Users do not have any creative control over the final output, a limitation that has been described by users as part of the novelty and surprise of the feature.
For now, the Easter egg appears to be restricted to one video per account. Attempts to trigger the feature again in a new chat reportedly result in the same video being replayed rather than generating a new one. Some users have claimed that other festive emojis, such as the Santa Claus or Christmas tree emoji, can also activate similar versions of the Christmas surprise.
The feature has not been formally announced by OpenAI and appears to be a seasonal addition designed to showcase Sora’s capabilities while adding a playful, festive layer to ChatGPT’s user experience during the holiday season.
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