A group of volunteers in Pirkanmaa have joined up to make kids' Christmas gift wishes come true — including pricey electronics.
This year the group, which calls itself Nokia's elves (Nokian tontut), collected 6,500 euros, enough for 54 presents. They are named after the small town near Tampere and their WhatsApp group has 170 members who participate in selecting and funding the gifts.
"Our goal is specifically to get the costlier presents, which are too expensive for single Santas to finance," Heidi Sadonoja, one of the Nokia elves, explained.
The do-gooder elves have already purchased three PlayStation 5 consoles, two laptops, a digital camera, a smartwatch, headphones, three tablets as well as a watch phone.
The elves only know the age and gender of the children receiving the gifts. The kids' wishes hang on cardboard Christmas decorations on Hope association wish trees.
The elves from Nokia deliver the gifts they’ve purchased to Hope, which passes them on to the children and young people in question.
Kirsi Pärri-Hedman of Hope's Tampere office said it's difficult for some people to grasp smartphone or game console donations.
"Some might think, why should someone poor get such expensive gifts? Wouldn't a cheaper one do?"
Sadonoja doesn't agree. She said this attitude fails to appreciate what it's like being a child or teen today, when much of communication with friends happens on phones, and gaming consoles are a common way to connect and play together.
Many kids still want the basics
But not all children pine for expensive electronics. This year, around 3,000 wishes have been submitted through Hope.
Pärri-Hedman said she finds this year’s trend, which differs from previous years, to be disheartening.
"Many kids want grocery vouchers. This is sad when a child could wish for a toy or anything, really."
She said these food wishes are probably linked to the fact that many children want a traditional Christmas meal, which Tampere schools initially had not planned to offer this year. The city, however, reversed this decision on Tuesday.
Jutta Koivumaa, another Nokia elf, shared that one child's wish has stayed with her for years: a request for three electric toothbrushes.
"It was truly moving because it's such an everyday item," she said.
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