In his welcoming address, Lord Mayor Frank Klingebiel emphasized: "I am delighted that you are not at the ice rink or swimming pool on the last days of the vacations, but are visiting people at home, in hospitals and retirement homes at the turn of the year. You spend your free time helping other people, bringing sunshine to their hearts and God's blessing to their homes. This is a great message of charity. And you collect for children around the world who are not as well off as you are. Thank you very much for your commitment!"

Pastoral advisor Dr. Jürgen Selke-Witzel added: "You bring the message to people to do something for others and thus actively stand up for human dignity. Thank you for being out and about in all weathers."

Star singing in Salzgitter is organized every year by the four Catholic parishes of St. Bernward (Thiede), St. Joseph (Lebenstedt), St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe (Fredenberg) and St. Marien (Bad). In 2026, almost 100 carol singers will be out and about in Salzgitter. Last year, the campaign collected almost 21,723 euros in donations in Salzgitter alone.

The motto of the 68th carol singing campaign in 2026 is "School instead of factory - carol singing against child labor". The global community has not achieved its goal of ending child labor by 2025. 138 million children between the ages of five and 17 work, 54 million of them under particularly unhealthy and exploitative conditions. Products made by child labor are also sold in Germany. The money collected by the carol singers supports 778 projects worldwide every year.

Further information on this year's theme can be found on the Internet at www.sternsinger.de. (opens in a new tab)