Over 75% of children in rural areas have never been to a Christmas show or on a winter holiday trip, but they would like to. These are two of the results from the latest survey conducted by the World Vision Romania foundation, "Truths of Christmas in the Village for Children and Adolescents."

For St. Nicholas Day, the foundation is launching the campaign "Winter on a Different Street," aiming to provide a unique experience during the winter holidays (such as going to a Christmas market, cinema, Christmas show, or other trips) for 2,500 children from rural areas.

Six out of ten children from villages (58.8%) have not had the opportunity to visit a Christmas market, although they wish to, and a quarter of rural teenagers (25.8%) want to go to such a market for the first time.

Moreover, three-quarters of children from villages (over 75%) have never been to a Christmas show, but they would be delighted to, and almost half of teenagers (45.2%) share the same desire.

Additionally, more than seven out of ten children from rural areas (76.5%) have never had the opportunity for a winter holiday trip, and over half of teenagers (over 53%) are eager to experience such holidays.

The same survey shows that more than eight out of ten children (over 86%) have never been to the cinema during the winter holiday, and over six out of ten teenagers (60.6%) have also not had this experience.

One of the children who has never left his village during the winter holiday is Luca (9 years old) from Ialomița County, who wrote a letter to Santa Claus.

"Dear Santa, for the past few years, we haven't had snow in our village for Christmas, not even to make snowballs. And many of my friends have moved with their parents to the city or have gone to Germany or Italy. Often, I have no one to play with except Eric, but he wants to play with a police car he got from you.

I'm a bit older, and I don't want to play the same way. I prefer to build Lego and solve puzzles. But when I get bored with those, I watch cartoons alone or help my mom spread chocolate cream over the cake. I would really like to go somewhere nice this winter holiday.

On TV, I always see Christmas markets with lots of colorful lights, trees, toys, and fluffy pancakes. I see kids, like me, going to shows with elves or to the ice rink, where many people drink hot chocolate after getting tired. But I don't want to go alone. Eric, my classmates, and everyone should come. It should be like an excursion. That's what I want," Luca asks Santa Claus.

Donations for the children's first winter experience can be made by sending an SMS to 8864 with the text HOPE (cost 4 euros/month) or directly on the World Vision Romania website, where any amount can be donated: https://bit.ly/47KEUwg.

Among the emotions of children and teenagers at Christmas: stress, sadness, boredom

Seven out of ten children and teenagers feel sad or bored during the winter holiday, for various reasons:

• Most children and teenagers think that they can no longer play with snow like they used to, have no friends to play with, and because the traditions of holidays are no longer preserved in their village as they once were.
• Two out of ten children (19%) are sad during the holiday season because they see their parents stressed about money.
• More than one in ten children (14.5%) in rural areas feel sad or bored during the holiday season because they have nothing fun to do, and 12.7% are discouraged at the thought that they won't have anything interesting to tell when they return to school.

Only 1% of teenagers say they have no reasons for stress during the winter holidays. The remaining 99% of teenagers are stressed because:

• For over 60% of teenagers, heavy homework is a stress factor during the winter break.
• For four out of ten teenagers (37.6%), household chores around the holidays are another stress factor.
• One in five teenagers (17.2%) feels sad or stressed during the winter holiday because they see young people on social media having more fun than they do.
• For over 15% of teenagers, conflicts in the family (between grandchildren, parents, and grandparents) are a source of anxiety during the holidays.

"I would like to go to a Christmas event with people my age. That way, I can meet new people and have fun together. And that way, I could go out more (I am a person who only goes out when I go to school)." - Adolescent testimony

Winter traditions are no longer preserved in the village:

Two out of ten parents say about their children that they surely or most likely will not go caroling this winter. Among teenagers, less than a third (30.2%) plan to go caroling during these holidays (with carols, small plows, or other types of rituals).

Teenagers' wishes during the winter holidays: less alcohol and food waste, gender equality in household chores, and nature-friendly solutions.

Additionally:

• Almost half (45%) of teenagers would like less pressure regarding expenses.
• A third (31.8%) want to consume less alcohol during holiday meals.
• Men to help more with household chores (38.3%).
• Four out of ten teenagers (39.4) would like winter holidays to be more environmentally friendly (cutting down fewer trees, recyclable decorations, etc.).
• Almost half (46%) would like less food waste.
• One in two (over 48%) teenagers would like more cultural events in their village/community during the winter holidays.

Respondent sample:

825 parents, 89% of whom are from rural areas, and the rest are from disadvantaged urban communities;

535 teenagers, of whom 83.4% are from rural areas, and the rest are from other vulnerable urban communities.