When Alan Kerr’s daughters confessed that they no longer believed in Santa Claus, he shared a confession of his own.

“I told them the truth,” he said. “I work for Santa.”

Mr. Kerr, an economist by training who has worked for the Canadian government, is the man behind emailSanta.com, a website featuring giggling elves and a sparkly cursor that offers games, quizzes and the option to send a message to the North Pole.

Each year, more than a million messages reach Mr. Kerr’s home office in Calgary, he said, mostly asking for puppies, bikes and, more recently, iPhones. In some of the messages, however, children reveal hardships like being bullied at school or struggling with an illness.

And within a few moments — thanks to a software program that identifies keywords in the message, including location, age and level of “goodness” — the sender receives a personalized message from Santa, noting the puppy request or address change, and offering words of encouragement or ways to get help.