It has reached the top ten in numerous other countries worldwide, including Australia, Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, as well as the top 20 in Belgium, Croatia, Ireland, Malaysia and the Philippines.

The music video for the single was directed by Chris Marrs Piliero and was released on Grande's official Vevo on December 12, 2014.

The song received its first performance at the 2014 A Very Grammy Christmas concert in the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on November 18, 2014.

She also performed the song for the first time on November 18, 2014, at the 2014 A Very Grammy Christmas concert in the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA.

[5] On November 18, Republic Records released the cover art of the song, which depicts a simple light pink background with "Santa Tell Me" written in the middle in golden script.

[6] On November 21, Republic Records also released a 15-second snippet of "Santa Tell Me" through their Instagram page; the preview contained part of the chorus.

[12] Robbie Daw of Idolator opined that "Santa Tell Me" was a "cute, harmless stocking stuffer that ticks all the necessary boxes, in that there's classic instrumentation, a hummable chorus and lyrics that reflect a mixture of the festive season with the possibility of heartbreak at the holidays",[13] while Brian Mansfield of USA Today compared the song unfavorably to Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You", stating that it fell short in its attempt at becoming a "seasonal staple".

[16] Six years later, "Santa Tell Me" re-entered the Hot 100 at a new high of number 39 on the chart issue dated December 19, 2020, earning Grande her 35th top 40 entry of her career.

On the Billboard Global 200, which tracks the most streamed and digitally sold songs in over 200 territories, "Santa Tell Me" peaked at number five, becoming Grande's third top-ten hit on the chart.

The track re-entered the Canadian Hot 100 chart, and has since attained a new peak of number eight in 2020, becoming Grande's 19th top ten hit in the country.

In November 2023, "Santa Tell Me" re-entered the UK Singles Chart for an eighth consecutive year, reaching an overall peak position of number 8 in late December.

[21] In a report published by ASCAP, "Santa Tell Me" was listed as the most-performed new and original holiday song in their repertoire in the years 2014, 2015, and 2021.

[35] Due to the song being internationally popular during the Christmas season, it has been covered multiple times by various artists, such as Pentatonix, Nayeon from Twice[36] and Jessica Vosk.

[38] The video features Grande with her friends dancing, laughing and giving gifts around her house along with a two-minute outtake section at the end.

[40] Grande first performed "Santa Tell Me" on November 18, 2014, at the A Very Grammy Christmas concert in the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

[44] The song was added to the setlist of the second North American leg of Grande's Sweetener World Tour, along with "December", "True Love", "Wit It This Christmas" and "Winter Things".