• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, November 3, 2015

Macy’s is giving is long-running “Believe” campaign a digital makeover, with a new stylus-and-app that helps kids make the “Nice” list, and provides an electronic shortcut to Santa.

Called the Wish Writer, the new interactive device is $15 and available in stores and at Macys.com, and lights up when pressed against a surface. It features a series of games designed to teach kids about generosity and compassion, as well as a fun way to get their wishes up to the North Pole. The Cincinnati-based retailer says it designed the device with a child psychologist, hoping to combine adventure and exploration with enhancing kids’ altruism and compassion. (They earn rewards for good deeds.) A free version of the app comes with purchase, while a richer version is available for $1.99.

Macy’s is introducing the device and app with a three-minute video from J. Walter Thompson on its Web site, and a 90-second version scheduled to air during its Thanksgiving Day parade.

Beginning Nov. 6, fans can contact Santa via the Wish Writer, through Macys.com, or go old-school and drop stamped letters addressed to Santa into the big red in-store letterboxes. And as it has in the past, the effort is a partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which provides experiences to sick children. For every letter to Santa (no matter how it's sent) Macy’s says it will donate $1, up to $1 million, to Make-A-Wish. (It is also donating $1 for the sale of each Wish Writer, as well as the sale of each app.) And this year, “Believe” day is scheduled for Dec. 11.

Macy’s also unveiled its star lineup for the parade, which includes Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Mariah Carey, Cirque du Soleil, Daughtry, Andy Grammer, MercyMe, Mipso,  Jennifer Nettles,  Plain White T’s, the cast of Broadway’s “School of Rock,” Trey Songz, Jordin Sparks and plenty of Muppets from “Sesame Street.”