Close to people | Stories from Bethel
The Christmas house in Bethel
There were and are many interesting, beautiful, unusual or simply curious buildings in Bethel. The spherical gas tank near the Lindenhof is one of them, as is the Zion Church with its special features such as the integrated emergency or quiet rooms for people with epilepsy, or the striking gatehouse, which in earlier days housed the public relations department. One very small building even became a real celebrity in its time: Bethel's "Christmas House".
The idea came from Frieda von Bodelschwingh, daughter of the formative director of the institution, Friedrich von Bodelschwingh (right). For the people who lived in the village of Bethel, she was above all the "family aunt", who worked for them with a big heart and tireless energy. These were perfect qualities for the role of caretaker of the gift parcels sent to Bethel by friends and sponsors from all over the world. In order to provide a place for this activity, she had a small house built on Hoffnungstaler Weg in 1913, the sole purpose of which was to prepare the gifts. The single-storey building, in which many shelves provided space for the deliveries, was known in Bethel only as the "Christmas house". Here, each care home was allocated a compartment in which the "gifts of love" - today we would call them "donations in kind" - were collected.
Because the allocation of presents was always a mammoth task. After all, the Christmas treasures had to be distributed not only fairly, but also in a way that was personally appropriate. Sister Frieda was aware of countless wishes and needs because she went in and out of Bethel's care homes, attended birthday parties and spoke to people. In addition, the residents were able to express their Christmas wishes to the house parents, deaconesses and deacons during the course of the year. They drew up wish lists so that on Christmas Eve the gifts were delivered to the person who was most happy to receive them.
The Christmas house fascinated many people, so that donations soon arrived not only from Germany, but from all over the world. The Christmas house stood in Bethel for almost a hundred years. After a fire in 2011, it fell into disrepair and had to be demolished in November 2012. But even today, the wishes of people from Bethel are still collected and - if possible - fulfilled at Christmas.