Dear Christ Child… – German Children and their Christmas Wishes

Every year before Christmas the Bavarian town of Himmelstadt – the name literally means ‘heaven’s city’ – receives over 80,000 letters from children with their Christmas wishes. Often these wishes sound funny at first, but when read more closely, they make you think. There’s a story behind every letter. The children’s first problem is to decide what address to use for their letters. They’re writing to the Christ Child, or ‘Christkind’ – the southern German counterpart to Father Christmas. But where does he live? Can he even read? Can he talk? Does he have golden hair? Wings? But once they’ve taken this hurdle, they don’t just wish for material things. They often write down all the things that burden them in their lives: one girl would like war in Africa to end, another would like her fish to live a long life. A boy would like a pullover for his dog. This film is about children who have everything or nothing, a greatest wish or a last one. They’re more openly honest to the ‘Christkind’ than to anyone else., Every year before Christmas the Bavarian town of Himmelstadt – the name literally means ‘heaven’s city’ – receives over 80,000 letters from children with their Christmas wishes. Often these wishes sound funny at first, but when read more closely, they make you think. There’s a story behind every letter.