regional customs
No corona and a glitter tattoo: wishes for the Christ child
It’s already very Christmas in the Christkindpost branch in Engelskirchen. Photo: Oliver Berg / dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Every year again: Christmas is approaching and many children register their wishes with the Christ Child. In 2020 around 150,000 letters were received in Engelskirchen.
The Christkind post office in Engelskirchen in the Bergisches Land has opened with excited visitors. 25 invited kindergarten children personally handed their wish lists to a woman in a Christkind costume on Friday.
A basketball, a microscope or a glitter tattoo – the children’s wishes were as varied as the letters they had made. “It was good that we could be there,” said Kaja, who wished for a toy dog. “The Christ Child was nice.”
The spokeswoman for Deutsche Post, Britta Töllner, said: “It’s the best job to be here once a year.” Corona is also an issue again this year. “It’s amazing how much the children notice at home.” In many letters, the children wish that the corona pandemic would soon be over. Six-year-old Lina wrote, for example: «I wish that I am no longer afraid. Corona scares me. “
9,000 letters had already been received in Engelskirchen at the opening on Friday. Last year around 150,000 wish lists from 40 different countries arrived here. Any child who sends the letter by December 20th will receive a reply. 17 helpers work in the office for this purpose.