Updated 23 December 2025 at 10:24 IST
How-to: Step-by-step: How ChatGPT’s ‘Gift’ Turns Your Selfie into a Santa Greeting
We at Republic tested the feature ourselves. After following the steps, it took more than five minutes for the app to deliver the final video - a delay that may frustrate some eager users, but the end result is undeniably festive.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has dropped a festive surprise inside the ChatGPT app, sparking a wave of curiosity across social media. In a cryptic post on X (formerly Twitter), Altman simply wrote, “Here is a little hint” alongside a gift emoji. The teaser quickly went viral, amassing nearly two million views as users speculated about the hidden feature.
The mystery has now been solved: ChatGPT has rolled out a holiday Easter egg that allows users to transform their selfies into personalised Santa-themed video messages. The feature blends image recognition with OpenAI’s Sora video-generation model, creating a lighthearted and interactive way to spread cheer this season.
We at Republic tested the feature ourselves. After following the steps, it took more than five minutes for the app to deliver the final video - a delay that may frustrate some eager users, but the end result is undeniably festive.
Step-by-step guide
- Open the ChatGPT mobile app and send the gift emoji 🎁.
- Upload or take a selfie when asked.
- Wait as ChatGPT’s Sora model generates a personalised Santa video message.
The finished product is a short clip where your selfie is transformed into a cheerful Santa greeting, ready to be shared with friends and family.
Published By : Priya Pathak
Published On: 23 December 2025 at 10:24 IST