Messengers cycle to Saint Nicholas in Lapland's wintry landscape - Delivery Workers Cycling to Lapland to deliver goods as Santa
In an extraordinary display of festive spirit, endurance, and volunteerism, three postal workers from Germany have set off on a 3,000-kilometer cycling tour from St. Nikolaus in Saarland, Germany, to the Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, Finland. Their mission? To deliver letters and Christmas wish lists addressed to Santa Claus that have been sent to the St. Nikolaus post office by children worldwide.
The journey, expected to take around two to three weeks, will see the cyclists pass through Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and finally Finland. The trio, consisting of Simone Nehring, Artur Hajduk, and Ralf Schüttler, have chosen two yellow postal bicycles and one mountain bike for their adventure.
The letters and wish lists come from children addressed to Santa Claus or Saint Nicholas. The cyclists carry these to Santa’s official village to foster the Christmas tradition and maintain the link between German children and the Finnish Santa Claus. This tradition dates back to 1967, with about 30,000 letters received each year.
The trip symbolises a festive connection between German and Finnish Christmas traditions. Saint Nicholas himself formally handed over the letters before the cyclists departed, also entrusting them with his own special wish list to deliver to Santa Claus in Finland.
The cyclists plan to visit postal branches in Bremen and Hamburg to collect more wish lists. After visiting Santa Claus, they plan to continue their journey and collect donations for the "Bunter Kreis Hagen" association.
The journey started from the Nicholas post office in St. Nicholas, Saarland, with the first stop being Rüsselsheim. The cyclists aim to cover 200 to 250 kilometers a day and mainly cycle on country roads. After reaching the Santa Claus village, they plan to continue on to the North Cape, which is another 700 kilometers.
This extraordinary cycling journey blends postal service volunteerism, festive spirit, and endurance sport to celebrate and sustain the magic of Christmas correspondence across Europe. The cyclists' dedication to this unique tradition is truly inspiring, keeping the spirit of Christmas alive for children everywhere.
[1] St. Nikolaus Post Office [2] Santa Claus Village [3] Bunter Kreis Hagen
The Commission [1] has also been asked to submit a proposal for a directive on the introduction of a system of information and communication technologies, enabling children from their lifestyle [4] of adventure-travel [3] to virtually join the postal cyclists [2] on their annual 3,000-kilometer journey from St. Nikolaus [1] to the Santa Claus Village [2], thereby fostering connections and enhancing the Christmas tradition.
While the postal cyclists continue their tour, hoping to collect donations for the "Bunter Kreis Hagen" association [3], families worldwide can follow their journey, sharing their own travel stories and Christmas wishes with the cyclists, further turning this event into a global celebration of Christmas spirit and endurance.
