The number of children’s letters to Santa continues to rise each year, Swiss Post announced on Tuesday. While the reason is not clear, it says that perhaps in an increasingly digital age the physical aspect is appreciated more.
As in previous years, about 60% of letters came from French-speaking western Switzerland, where letters to Santa have a long tradition. One in five come from German-speaking Switzerland and around 15% from the Italian speaking south.
The number of schools and kindergartens participating in letters to Santa operations is also up, with 308 classes and kindergartens participating this year, up 21% on 2018.
Letters and parcels to Santa sometimes contain sweets, but it is mainly pacifiers that pile up on Santa’s assistants’ desks with children promising they no longer need them.
As in previous years, a small team of six Swiss Post staff helped Santa to answer all the children’s letters – with Santa Claus mentioned on the envelope – on time. The team prepared golden reply envelopes with a Christmas stamp and a Bern-Bethlehem postmark, as well as a small surprise gift. In 2019, this was a small colouring book and Christmas-themed stickers.
Employees were able to trace 91% of the children who sent the letters and offer them a personal reply from Santa.
More
More
What Swiss Santas learn in class
This content was published on
Swiss-style Santas, known as “Samichlauses”, go to refresher courses every year to stay at the top of their game.
Is artificial intelligence an advantage or a disadvantage for workers?
What is your experience with AI at work? Have you already used it? Has it helped you work better? Or has it caused you more stress, more work or caused you to lose your job? Tell us about your experiences!
Should raw milk sales be banned or should consumers decide?
Swiss food regulations do not allow raw milk to be sold for direct consumption. However, a loophole allows 400 raw milk vending machines to do just that.
Swiss to cut staff caring for underage asylum-seekers
This content was published on
The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) is reducing its support staff for unaccompanied minor asylum-seekers. It will cut 120 full-time positions at national level.
Swiss museum displays 17th-century clock made for insomniac pope
This content was published on
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the International Museum of Horology in La Chaux-de-Fonds is presenting an exceptional night clock, designed in 1682 by the Italian Pietro Tommaso Campani.
Almost 3,000 people demonstrate for Palestine in Geneva
This content was published on
Almost 3,000 people took part in a solidarity rally for Palestine in Geneva on Saturday. The rally was organised by the BDS movement (Boycott - Divestment - Sanctions).
Swiss swimmer Noè Ponti breaks butterfly world record
This content was published on
Noè Ponti has set his first world record, in the 50m butterfly at the World Cup small pool in Shanghai. He swam 21.67 in Sunday’s heats.
Swiss football hooligans attack police in Liechtenstein
This content was published on
Riots broke out in Liechtenstein on Saturday after a football match between local side FC Vaduz and FC Thun from Switzerland.
Austrian right-wing extremist arrested by Swiss police
This content was published on
The Austrian right-wing extremist Martin Sellner entered Switzerland on Saturday despite being banned from entering the country.
All Swiss listed companies have a climate strategy
This content was published on
All major listed Swiss companies have a climate strategy. This puts Switzerland ahead of neighbouring Germany and Austria, says a study by Kirchhoff Consult and BDO.
Local birds are stars of this year’s Bern light show
This content was published on
The Rendez-vous Bundesplatz light show enters a new round on Saturday. This year, birds will be chirping, squawking and fluttering all over the façade of the federal parliament.
EU urges countries to keep demining in Ukraine permanently on the agenda
This content was published on
The Lausanne Ministerial Conference on Humanitarian Demining in Ukraine led to pledges from more than 40 countries to help the war-torn country.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss Post posts parcels record
This content was published on
Swiss Post handled a record number of parcels in 2019, the company said on Friday. The number of letters sent however continues to fall.
This content was published on
This is not the Santa Claus known to English-speaking countries but the Swiss version – who is normally accompanied by a strange-looking individual with a blacked out face. The Swiss Father Christmas was based on Saint Nicholas, whose feast day was celebrated on Saturday – his Swiss German name, Samichlaus, alludes to that. But the…
This content was published on
The number of packages processed by the Swiss Post office’s three parcel centres has been rising steadily since they opened 20 years ago.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.