GERMANY: HUNDREDS OF SANTA'S HELPERS DRESSED IN TRADITIONAL RED ROBE AND WHITE BEARDS MEET IN BERLIN TO DISCUSS THEIR JOBS DURING THE UPCOMING HOLIDAY SEASON

Record ID: 862118

  • Title: GERMANY: HUNDREDS OF SANTA'S HELPERS DRESSED IN TRADITIONAL RED ROBE AND WHITE BEARDS MEET IN BERLIN TO DISCUSS THEIR JOBS DURING THE UPCOMING HOLIDAY SEASON
  • Date: 30th November 2003
  • Summary: SANTAS PRACTISING CAROLS CHILD WATCHING MORE OF SANTAS PRACTISING CAROLS
  • Embargoed: 15th December 2003 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
  • City:
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: General,Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA908PEVV3D93Q8XK1DHOGP2PKC
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: Hundreds of Santa's helpers, dressed in the traditional red robe and bushy white beards, have met to discuss their jobs during the upcoming holiday season and to practice their carol-singing skills.
    Every year, about 450 students of Berlin's Free University put their books away for the final four weeks before Christmas in order to bring gifts and cheer to hundreds of children in the Berlin region. For a small fee of about 28 Euros for up to three children, parents can order a Santa and/or and Angel to visit their children at home and bring their gifts. The gift-giving takes about 15 minutes.
    The university students' organisation has been sending Santas and Angels out to families every year since 1949. On average, they visit more 4,000 homes every year.
    Head Santa Joerg Schoepfel is proud of his crop of helpers this year, and says participants need to adhere to a few specifications if they want to be one of the chosen few.
    "There is no perfect Santa Claus, but there are certainly some things he does not have: no jeans, no sneakers, no ringing cell phone. He has a jute bag and not a trash bag, he has a beard, and he has something on his head if it is not white hair, and of course he has the famous red coat on," Schoepfel says.
    About 250 of the Santas and 25 angels participated in this year's indoctrination and singalong on Sunday (November 30), crowning the afternoon with a ride on the carousel swing at a local Christmas market.
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