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.
