How to help people in need in Stockholm at Christmas

On 17th December you can enjoy a Christmas lunch in Kungsträdgården prepared by some of Sweden's top chefs, with all proceeds going towards work with vulnerable individuals. This year features contributions from Mathias Dahlgren, Alexandra Zazzi, Johan Jureskog and Tea Malmegård, among others. A lunch that's both delicious and beneficial. You can also donate new and unwrapped Christmas presents for children, young people, and their families.

Every year, Strawberry hotels collect Christmas presents for children, donated by people who come and leave a present under the Christmas trees in their hotel lobbies. They've been running this initiative since 2012 and since then it has generated half a million collected Christmas gifts. At several hotels you can also donate a Christmas card for 50 kr to be hung in the tree. All the gifts they collect are given to a local charitable organisation chosen by the hotel. The gifts are then given out to children in need. Gifts should be in good condition and something you think a child would appreciate. For security reasons, please don't wrap the present. Go to your nearest hotel and leave your gift. 

For almost 45 years, Folkets hus in Rågsved has organised a Christmas celebration that's free for all to attend. On Christmas Eve, they lay out a festive spread with both traditional dishes and plant-based options, along with a lucky dip, board games, musical entertainment, and a visit from Santa Claus himself. The aim is to let everyone feel the magic of Christmas and to enhance community spirit. If you want to contribute you can sign up as a volunteer.

Santa Run is a race that takes place on the 7th December through the streets of central Stockholm, where participants dress up in Santa costumes. As well as enjoying a fun run, you contribute to helping people in need, as all proceeds from the race are distributed among charities such as the Red Cross, Stockholm City Mission, Doctors Without Borders and the Children's Cancer Foundation. The distance is either 3 or 6 km, and it's fine to walk if you don't want to run.

Since 2007, Jul i Gemenskap - Christmas in Community - has been organising an alternative Christmas celebration on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day where everyone is welcome. The celebration takes place indoors in several different places in Stockholm and there is a Christmas breakfast, Christmas lunch, Christmas buffet and Christmas gift giving. And, naturally, plenty of togetherness. If you want to lend a hand before or during the celebrations, you can apply to be a volunteer via Volontärbyrån.

Christmas is a difficult time for many and loneliness, poverty and social exclusion are often intensified during the holidays. If you want to get involved in the run up to Christmas, and over Christmas itself, there are plenty of things you can do via Stadsmissionen. Start a collection via Facebook, for example, volunteer, donate new and unused Christmas presents to children, young people and homeless people, or donate clothes and household objects to one of their charity shops.

Julhjälpen (Christmas help) is a non-profit page on Facebook for people in Stockholm who want to help other families in the lead-up to Christmas. Both large and small contributions are welcome – it can be anything from donating a Christmas gift to sending some money that goes towards buying Christmas food for those in need. In the last weeks before Christmas, help is also needed to deliver gifts and food parcels. The idea is to make it easy to contribute – because no one can do everything, but everyone can do something.

Birkagården will be organising their Christmas celebrations on 26th December - an event that's been happening for more than 10 years. They lay out a Christmas buffet with space for around 100 people, and if you want to contribute you can donate clothes or money, which people in need will use to buy food and drinks.