For many people, the Christmas season is a time of joyful togetherness - but for some, it is also characterized by intense loneliness. Anyone who is alone or in need at Christmas can turn to various contact points in Leipzig and Dresden. There are also online services to bring people together.
Christmas party and free kebab
The Leipzig Station Mission at Leipzig Central Station will remain open over the holidays this year from 9.00 am to 1.00 pm. During this time, the facility invites you to linger with pastries and punch. The offer is aimed primarily at homeless people.
On December 18, there will also be a Christmas party to receive the Light of Bethlehem. There are also presents and music. Between 100 and 150 people take up the offer every year, according to the director Sophie Wischnewski. She could not say how many people in Leipzig spend Christmas alone. "I think the number is a lot higher."
The HomePlanet Hostel in Leipzig's Connewitz district offers 12 beds including hot meals at Christmas time. Globus Döner in Leipzig Reudnitz distributes free kebabs to those in need on Christmas Eve from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., as an employee said on request.
Meeting for the holidays
In Dresden, the Johannstadt Quartier Verein is organizing a networking meeting on 12 December. Anyone who feels lonely at Christmas and would like to meet people who feel the same way is invited. If you like, you can arrange to meet up for Christmas. And the Heilandskirche Dresden-Cotta invites you to celebrate together with food and drinks on Christmas Eve.
Germany-wide offers
People aged 60 and over can also contact a holiday hotline from Christmas Eve to New Year's Day, which can be reached daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. from 24 December onwards on 0800-4708090.
People can also network on social media at Christmas, for example via the Facebook group "Christmas alone - no that doesn't have to be", where they can arrange to celebrate Christmas together. The website "Keine(r) bleibt allein" also connects people who long for company.
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