A few weeks ago, I reported on a nifty online application called IamSaintNick.com that brings a new high-tech twist to Christmas lists. The service -- created by two laid-off Seattle techies -- lets parents or grandparents covertly gather gift information for kids by having a pre-recorded phone message from Santa Claus ask loved ones what they want for the holiday.

Since covering the company on Nov. 25, things have been buzzing at the virtual North Pole. IamSaintNick creator Matt Steckler tells me they have placed 15,000 calls and attracted more than 30,000 page views from 93 countries. (I guess Santa has a good phone plan.) And now they are working up another idea for Christmas Eve, which would allow kids to call a toll free number to track Santa's whereabouts throughout the day. But what happens next is the most interesting part of the call.

As the message comes to a close, kids will have the option to choose to be contacted by Santa's trusted elf, Frank, on Christmas day. In that follow up call, Frank will ask if the kids enjoyed their gifts and prompt them to record a message thanking Santa.

Family members -- including those in other parts of the country -- then can go to that recorded message on the IamSaintNick.com Web site to hear the messages.

Steckler -- who ironically is Jewish -- said the new offering is a way for gift givers to experience the happiness and joy of kids on Christmas day. "This is our way of saying thanks to the wonderful support we received from our customers," he says.

Built on the back of Seattle startup Twilio's Web-based telephony offering, IamSaintNick.com's success has surprised Steckler who started kicking around the concept after losing a job at a tech company a few months ago.

"We've been surprised and ecstatic with the response," he said. A Seattle kids' clothing retailer has signed up as a sponsor of the site, while the service has done well by recommending certain products on Amazon.com while the calls are dialing from Santa.

Steckler, who started the project on a whim, is now going full time with idea. He says that several larger retailers have contacted him about the service and he cryptically notes that "we've been approached by parties that are interested in helping us." He declined to say whether that meant investors are sniffing around. 

The site is not profitable, but Steckler said it is "self sustaining."

So what's next? After all, Christmas doesn't last forever.

The developer is cooking up some new ideas for phone call-based efforts around other holidays and occasions. (Can you imagine the possibilities around weddings?) Steckler's also contemplating ways for people to track gifts on a personalized page and tie that into a product catalog.

"We are busy developing a service that will be holiday proof, and proprietary and patented technology that might amaze..." says Steckler in an email.  He says the new service will be like "BlueKai, Kaboodle and Wishpot all jammed together in a great consumer experience."

Who knew that calls from Santa Claus could lead to such a creative new upstart?

It's like a holiday story come true.