- Title: GERMANY: Santa Claus opens special Christmas post office in eastern Germany
- Date: 17th November 2005
- Summary: SANTA'S HELPERS SEATED AROUND TABLE, ANSWERING CHILDREN'S LETTERS CLOSE-UP OF CHILD'S LETTER SENT TO SANTA WOMAN HELPER READING LETTER SANTA PUPPET WRITING SANTA'S HELPERS SEATED AROUND TABLE
- Embargoed: 2nd December 2005 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Germany
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
- Reuters ID: LVA3W1N8Y8QIE9EJCOHS79UTJP2J
- Story Text: Christmas must be just around the corner when the small eastern German town of Himmelpfort, or Heaven's Gate, traditionally opens its special Christmas post office where children from around the world can send their wish lists to. Santa Claus himself was present on Tuesday (November 15) for the official opening as some 50 children handed him their Christmas wish lists. Himmelpfort, a small town north of Berlin, has a population of 600. Yet its post office receives up to 200,000 letters from children around the world during the Christmas season alone. Germany has three other "Christmas post offices" in the western part of the country. Santa, whom Germans call "Weihnachtsmann," promised "all drawn and written wish lists which I receive by December 16 will be answered by Christmas". In order to keep his promise, Santa has a small army of assistants who help him answer all the letters - in German and seven other languages. "Children are writing in many different languages. I received letters from Brazil, from Australia, the other side of the world," Santa Claus said. "I even got letters from Japan and China and they will all be answered. That's a lot of work for Santa Claus but the children will be delighted when they are holding my letter in their hands." Asked about his wish list, little Gina Sophie said she wanted "a Barbie, a Barbie prince, a Barbie princess and a movie." Leon's wish list contained "a remote-controlled plane, a fort and a cuddly cat." But according to Santa Claus, "security and love in the world is the wish most often expressed." Children's letters can be sent to: Weihnachtspostfiliale, 16798 Himmelpfort, Germany.
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