Santa Claus#Letter writing to Santa

Christmas or Christmas Post Offices Post offices are facilities to which children in particular may send Christmas letters during the Advent season, which are usually answered. So the children the impression that they could actually communicate with Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, the Christian child or a similar mythical symbol of the Christmas gift giving.

The response is either free or for return postage. In most cases, a standardized form is used with child-friendly, Christmas motifs. Occasionally, the letter writer will receive but also a personal reply. Who would like to have for Christmas the response from Santa Claus or Christ child in time, must his letter to the Christmas post office usually send at least mid-December.

Most letters to the Christmas post offices come from children and contain Wishlist asking for certain toys, candy or other consumer products. Some children pour the Santa Claus in the often lovingly illustrated with drawings letters but also their heart and express intangible desires, for example, for peace, security, an intact family, health, better performance in school, the recovery of a sick relative or even for white Christmas.

Christmas post offices exist in several states of the German, Scandinavian and Anglo-American cultural space, where they are maintained by different organizations and companies, mostly from the respective postal organization. In German-speaking countries they were established in the local post office branches from some smaller places whose names have a certain linguistic reference to Christmas.

The Christmas service is also used by many adults for Christmas greetings to friends, relatives and acquaintances. Because most Christmas post offices use for the response letters Christmas special stamps and / or special stamps. This contrasts with the envelopes being used out visually and makes it further interesting collectibles which are sought after by philatelists. For stamp collectors are issued partly extra- special prints that can be obtained from the respective Christmas Post Office.

Country-specific

Germany

In Germany the Christmas post offices were operated by the German Federal Post Office. This tradition is continued by the Deutsche Post AG. Although it is actually only " post offices " or " Post Offices " there since the privatization of the Post in 1995, the term of the official " post office " adopted so far held in common parlance. Accordingly, it is usually still spoken by the " Christmas Post Office ". Officially called the German Post AG now but Christmas post office, but partly also " Christkind office ", " Christmas office " or " sky office ".

Answering the Christmas mail take in Germany next post employees also volunteer helpers. They are set up on letters from children from other countries and send the answers in different languages.

Recently, some Christmas post offices have come under pressure as the German Post AG has its branch network increasingly reduced and transferred, in this connection, to close their offices in smaller towns or districts. For example, the " heavenly post office" in the district of Hildesheim, Himmelsthür, the first time in 1967 acted as a Christmas Post Office and thus considered to be the oldest Christmas post office in Germany, abandoned by the post office. The Christmas tradition was not so far been retained: Letters " to Santa Claus in Himmelsthür " will continue to be answered.

Likewise the Christmas post office in Himmelpfortgrund in Fürstenberg / Havel, which was closed by the Deutsche Post AG in 2005. Here now the Christmas mail will be answered in the " writing room " of Santa Claus.

Since 1985 there is the " Christkind office " in Angel churches; there is a spin up to 140,000 wishlist, which are answered by 20 helpers.

Even children 's letters to Santa Claus, Santa Claus or Christ Child who end up without an exact address specification in the mailbox, come on: the German Post AG forwards it to one of the Christmas post offices.

In order to separate the processing of letters from children stamp desires of collectors, the German Post AG performs a respective second temple in one of their three locations stamp.

*) Collectors who are only interested in the special postmarks, should write to the relevant stamp office:

• Stamp office in Berlin: German Post AG, Mail Branch, special place, 10770 Berlin
• Stamp Bonn: German Post AG, Mail Branch, special place, 53253 Bonn
• Stamping point pastures: German Post AG, branch Philately, special place, 92637 Weiden in der Oberpfalz

Austria

→ Main article: Christkindl post office

The Austrian Christmas Post Office is located in the small town of Christkindl in Upper Austria.

Address

Christkindl post office Christkindlweg 6 4411 Christmas

Switzerland

In Switzerland, children's letters to answer to the Christ Child or the Swiss ' Santa Claus '. The Christmas Post Offices of Bern- Bethlehem and Vienna eight- Tobel ( Lutz Mountain ) however, have been closed in the meantime. The children end up letters now at the central reference of Swiss Post in Chiasso and also be edited there.

Addresses

At the Christ Child 9405 Vienna eight- Tobel At the Christ Child 3027 Bethlehem

Worldwide

2010, no letters were answered in Greenland due to financial constraints.