Nora would like a bicycle without a coaster brake, Lea would like a two-meter-tall teddy bear and Max would like a remote-controlled dinosaur. During Advent, tens of thousands of children’s wish lists pile up in the Christmas post offices. Classics such as painting and crafts, Lego, Playmobil or Barbie dolls are in great demand, but so are mobile phones and tablets, says Rosemarie Schotte, honorary director of a German Christmas post office in Himmelstadt, Lower Franconia.
The children often have very precise ideas that they pass on to the Christ child. For example, five-year-old Ina would like “everything for the doll’s kitchen, namely a vacuum cleaner, dough mixer and smoothie maker”. Jaron would like an “electric guitar with a good amp”, Louis a cotton candy machine and Klara a fart pillow.
Some children write the order number of an article or paste pictures from advertising brochures so that the right present is under the tree at Christmas.
Givers prefer to save for themselves
The toy industry is hoping for good Christmas sales despite higher prices and a generally gloomy consumer mood. The past crises have shown that parents and grandparents prefer to save for themselves and instead spend their money on the children, says Steffen Kahnt, director of the toy industry association.
But in addition to toys or books, many children also express wishes that cannot be paid for with money. “Gifts often no longer play the only leading role. About half of the wishes are ideal,” estimates Britta Töllner, spokeswoman for Deutsche Post for the Christkindpost branch in Engelskirchen near Cologne. “Peace” is mentioned particularly often this year: “Would you please make sure that the war ends and that everyone has enough to eat?”
letters from all over the world
The hard-working helpers in the post offices answer every letter – also in different languages, because the letters come from all over the world. This year the Engelskirchen Christkind also answers in Ukrainian for the first time. Töllner reports that several letters have already been received from Ukrainian children.
“I want daddy to come,” writes eight-year-old Alina, who currently lives in Wuppertal. Sofia from Dortmund would like to have “nice clothes”, a laptop and to learn to speak German and English.
Need for security and harmony
This time, the children’s letters also contain remarkably often wishes for a happy and peaceful Christmas at home, says Töllner. For example “have a quiet party”, “eat cookies by candlelight”, “grandpa and grandma are coming” or “mom and dad have more time for me”. The assumption of the Christmas mail expert: the major crises and the concerns of adults have also awakened a need for safety and harmony in the little ones.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
