Willich’s Saint Nicholas Sock Hunt returns with 955 festive surprises for kids
Willich’s annual Saint Nicholas Sock Hunt is back for 2025, with 955 festive stockings ready for local children. The event kicks off on December 5, turning shop windows across the city into hiding spots for the decorated treats. Organisers have spent weeks preparing the surprise for young participants.
Volunteers met at the Gründerzentrum in the Stahlwerk Becker complex to fill the stockings with sweets. Each one was decorated and tagged with a child’s name, matched to a raffle number. Children up to 16 could drop off their stockings at collection points in Willich’s districts before the hunt began.
On December 5, the search starts, with 57 local businesses displaying the stockings in their windows. Kids will hunt for their own, using the name tags to claim them. Any uncollected stockings will stay available until December 23 at designated stores in each district.
After that date, leftover stockings will go to charity, ensuring nothing goes to waste.
The event brings festive cheer to Willich, with hundreds of children set to find their stockings over the coming weeks. Those not claimed by December 23 will support a good cause, extending the holiday spirit beyond the hunt.
