Customs - Playing pieces and boards: Christmas post office has plenty to do
Toys, but also whimsical things: Many children have already sent their Christmas wishes by letter to the Christmas post office in Himmelsberg. More than 1,300 letters have been received so far, said Manuela Verges, chairwoman of the local history association in Himmelsberg. "Advertising is setting the wish trend: Play figures and cell phones are frequently requested - some children even write the exact order number of special items," reported Verges.
In general, the wishes, some of which come from all over the world, are very diverse. "Some children also want things that seem bizarre at first," said Verges. One child, for example, asked for wooden planks - but also explained in the letter that he wanted to use them to build a tree house with his grandfather. "The children also very much want the war in Ukraine to finally end and for the whole family to be together at Christmas."
Mail for Santa Claus for almost 30 years
The local history association in Himmelsberg, a district of Sondershausen in the Kyffhäuserkreis, began answering letters to Santa Claus on a voluntary basis in 1996. The association opens the historic bakery for this purpose, especially when children come by themselves to hand in their letters.
The volunteers use pre-prepared letters to answer the several thousand letters that arrive every year. "We then write the child's name and put a nice stamp on it," said Verges. The reply says, for example, that Santa can't always fulfill all wishes, but that he tries his best.
Like many other associations, the local history society needs new and preferably younger members, said Verges. This is not just about running the Christmas post office. However, according to Verges, anyone who is particularly interested in answering the Christmas letters should definitely meet one important requirement: "Legible handwriting is essential."
There are similar Christmas post offices elsewhere in Germany, for example in Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia and Brandenburg. The places where the Christmas post offices are usually run on a voluntary basis often have evocative names, such as "Himmelstadt", "Engelskirchen" or "Himmelpfort"
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- The Christmas post office in Himmelsberg, Sondershausen, Thuringia, has received over 1,300 letters from children requesting various items, including play figures and cell phones.
- The local history association in Sondershausen, which operates the Christmas post office, relies on the help of volunteers to answer the thousands of letters each year, emphasizing the importance of legible handwriting.
- During the holiday season, children from all over Thuringia and beyond visit Sondershausen to hand-deliver their Christmas wishes to Santa Claus at the historic bakery in the charming town of Himmelsberg.
Source: www.stern.de
