Wish tree campaign: Fulfill children’s wishes for the festival – get involved now!

Wish tree campaign: Fulfill children’s wishes for the festival – get involved now!

This year's wishing tree campaign is about to start in Berlin, with the aim of giving children in difficult situations a little Christmas joy. The period of the campaign extends from November 25th to December 11th, 2025. In two town halls, the Köpenick town hall and the Treptow town hall, citizens can select wishing stars with the needs of the children and thus fulfill their heart's desires. This initiative is run by the “Give a Smile e.V.” association. organizes and receives support from various Berlin town halls, libraries, companies and committed volunteers, as Berlin.de reports.

The official inauguration of the wishing tree will take place on November 25, 2025, led by district mayor Oliver Igel and the association. The wishing stars hanging on the trees carry Christmas wishes from children and young people. Everyone who chooses a star undertakes to get an unwrapped gift worth up to 30 euros and to deliver it to the town halls by December 11th at the latest.

A look at the success story

The wishing tree campaign is very popular and has become a tradition for many Berliners. Since its inception in 2014, the number of wishes granted has increased from 50 to almost 7,000 in 2024. The association “Give a Smile e.V.” launched the campaign to promote civic engagement and to particularly support families who are dependent on basic security. SDMEL highlights that around one in three children in Berlin lives in such a difficult situation.

The most popular gifts are dolls with strollers, remote-controlled cars and vouchers. The campaign impressively shows the solidarity in the capital and how important it is to focus on children in need in the run-up to Christmas. In addition, it is possible for companies or authorities to take part in the campaign with 20 wishes or more, which further promotes the sense of community.

Further information on implementation

Gifts can be dropped off either in the Köpenick town hall near the gate or in the Treptow town hall. On December 12, 2025, the gifts will be wrapped in Köpenick Town Hall, Room B2.43. The association asks for your help and invites anyone interested to register for the packaging campaign. Gifts are requested to be dropped off in open gift bags or boxes to facilitate the process. At a time when not all families are financially able to celebrate a wonderful Christmas, the wish tree campaign shows how community and voluntary help can be lived. This is also confirmed by Berliner-Zeitung, which underlines the importance of such initiatives.

The anticipation of the unfulfilled wishes is great, and the organizers hope for a high level of participation in order to make many children happy again this year.