OREANDA-NEWS. December 02, 2015. According to the Enterprise Federation of Norway's retail sales forecast for Christmas 2015, Norwegians will spend an average of NOK 10,700 per inhabitant during the holiday period. However, many will face a hard time deciding what to do in the run-up to Christmas: pay the bills or buy Christmas food and gifts.

"Last year we received a very large number of advertisements from families looking for kind people who could help them find Christmas presents for their children. This year we decided to take things a step further by launching a special section in FINN Torget called Julegave?nsker (Christmas gift wish list)," says Kristine Eia Kirkholm, head of PR and information in FINN.no.

Overwhelming generosity

FINN.no is experiencing overwhelming generosity from people wanting to help, and the advertisements that are posted often attract wide interest. But it is the advertisements that are shared in social media or via the media that generate most engagement and response. Families who feel compelled to resort to solutions like this often find considerable stigma attached to openly declaring themselves poor, and many want to avoid the potentially viral attention on social media.

"The chance to remain anonymous yet still reach as many as possible means that people with  financial difficulties can use FINN.no to post their Christmas gift wish lists," says Eia Kirkholm.

The ads contain requests for help with everything from Christmas food, sports equipment and electronics to toys and clothing. These ads are often posted in the categories the families are interested in, with the result that they become difficult to find.

"This new category will make it easer for people who wish to give a little extra this Christmas to find the right recipient. It also means that donors won't have to spend a long time finding somewhere to post their ads where as many as possible can find them," she adds.

"This makes it easer to connect those who need help with those who want to give it without having to make the ads go viral," says Kristine Eia Kirkholm.

Julegavensker is being launched on 24 November and will remain active until 4 January 2016. It will be placed in FINN Torget under ?nskes kj?pt (Wanted).

"Christmas is a time of the year that is characterised by both buying pressure and generosity. We hope this will contribute to helping those who need it most," says Eia Kirkholm.