Switzerland's second Christmas

Switzerland's "Second Christmas" tradition? A friend once told me that between Christmas and New Years you can bring gifts to the post office and they mail it free of charge to needy people somewhere in the world.

During the 17th edition of the "2 x Christmas" campaign over 73,000 parcels were collected. It is a charitable campaign supported jointly by the Swiss Red Cross (SRC), Swiss TV and Swiss Post. The goods donated are distributed to needy people in Switzerland via the cantonal associations of the Swiss Red Cross. In collaboration with the national Red Cross associations, some are also distributed to families and social institutions in Moldavia, Bulgaria, Belarus and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Over the Christmas period, people donate food and day-to-day necessities. Swiss Post transports these free of charge to the SRC logistics centre in Wabern (Berne), where they are sorted and forwarded to those in need by Swiss Post employees and SRC volunteers.

The 18th campaign will take place between 24 December 2014 and 10 January 2015.