Christmas Post to the Elderly is a national campaign organised annually by the Siskot ja Simot Association. The Christmas card campaign ran for three weeks from 13 November to 4 December 2023.
Tampere was one of the 137 municipalities participating in the campaign. In total, there were 12 collection points around the city, where more than 6,100 Christmas greetings were received.
– The number of Christmas cards made in the campaign is growing every year. We have set another new record. More than 1,000 cards were brought to the Kotitori collection point near Keskustori Central Square alone, says Tiina Santala, the planner who coordinated the Christmas card campaign in Tampere.
– It was a pleasure to see how carefully and thoughtfully made most of the cards were. The cards included self-made poems and heart-warming personal messages such as "you are important" and "I hope you'll find an almond in your Christmas porridge", Santala continues.
In addition to individuals, Christmas cards were made in craft workshops organised by various communities. Among those involved were the Mansen Marttas, the youth of the YMCA Tampere Messi workshop, the Tampere travel ticket inspectors and the children of the Näsinpuisto kindergarten.
The staff of the Pirkanmaa Welfare Region's home care and housing services will distribute the cards to elderly people in Tampere before Christmas.
– Tampere is home to a large number of elderly people. For example, thanks to this card campaign, every elderly person living in Koukkuniemi will receive at least one Christmas greeting, says Tiina Santala.
– Thank you to everyone who participated! I wish each of them as much Christmas joy as they have brought to the elderly in Tampere.
Addendum 15 December 2023: Since the publication of the news, more Christmas cards were received from the two independently participating collection points. In total, 6,400 Christmas cards were received.
