Santa wants to bring sunshine into the winter

Gone are the days when Santa came by sleigh and first had to shake the snow off his coat. Today's Santa can rely neither on the weather nor on public transport. He has to prepare his route precisely in order to warm as many children's hearts as possible. Perhaps the most famous Santa Claus in Leipzig plans his tour with Google Maps.

Santa Claus plans his route with Google Maps

This time, André Adelinia has to visit more than 40 children at 24 locations. The duration of the gift-giving has to be calculated as well as the time in between. "It's always worked out so far," says the man, whose long beard has now "grayed in honor", as he puts it. In the past, the 61-year-old had to paint his beard to make Santa's trademark really white. Today, all it takes is a few minutes of retouching.

Adelinia works as an occupational therapist in a correctional facility. He found his calling as Santa Claus more by chance in 2008. At the time, his sister's eight-year-old daughter had fallen away from the belief in Santa Claus and threatened to take the joy away from other children. So a "real" representative of the profession had to be found. Adelinia took on the job and won over - even the eight-year-old. She recognized the beard as real and became a believer again.

VW Polo Harlequin instead of sleigh and horses

Since then, André Adelinia has slipped into the role of Santa Claus every year. With his illuminated VW Polo Harlequin, on whose roof a large and a small teddy bear ride along, he is now known like a colorful dog. Many people pull out their cell phones to take a photo or video. Sometimes he spontaneously stops off when he sees people with children at the side of the road. "Of course, I always have a few little things with me."

Since coronavirus, he has only given presents to children on their doorsteps

Since the coronavirus pandemic, he has only given presents to children on their doorsteps. These are girls and boys from families of friends or acquaintances. The presents are usually left at the house or nearby.

Adelinia has converted an old car atlas into a Santa Claus book. From this, he draws his knowledge about the children, what worked well for them this year and what could be better.

Job brings back memories of his own childhood

His role as Santa Claus also brings back memories of his own childhood for the 61-year-old. Before the presents were given, the door to the living room was closed for him, he says, describing the situation that was so exciting for children. "I had to stay in my room. At some point there was a clatter and I was allowed in. Then all the presents were on the Christmas tree." His best present was once a model railroad.

Children's shining eyes as a reward

Adelinia is a flawless volunteer as Santa Claus. He doesn't take any money. "My reward is to see the joy in the children's eyes. The parents are happy too," says the Leipzig native.

Last year, he received a card afterwards in which a family thanked him once again and told him how much joy he had brought. "That touched me. You don't get to hear that every day in these times."

Santa wants to bring sunshine into the winter

Adelinia believes that "bringing a little sunshine into the winter" is particularly important in times when people are unsettled by crises. Driving through the city on this special day and seeing lots of smiling faces is simply beautiful, he says.

Motivation enough for a full-time job: André Adelinia will also be on the road for almost eight hours on Christmas Eve 2025 - from 1 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.. Only then will Christmas really be celebrated at home.