St. Nicholas Day is a favorite winter holiday that children and adults alike associate with belief in the fulfillment of dreams, good deeds and sweet gifts.

Traditionally, on the eve of the holiday, children write letters to the saint telling him about their deeds and their cherished wishes, asking for toys or sweets. For children, St. Nicholas is a real wizard who teaches them to do good and dream about the most important and valuable things. On the morning of December 6, obedient children always find gifts under their pillows and believe that they were brought by the saint.

The war in Ukraine has changed not only the lives of millions of Ukrainians, but also children's dreams. In their letters to St. Nicholas, Ukrainian children write about their painful experiences and ask not for gifts, but for “superpowers for the Armed Forces of Ukraine”, ‘level 1000 armor’, ‘a supply of weapons’, ‘a warm winter’ for Ukrainian defenders, and most importantly, ‘for everyone to come back alive’.

The idea for this postal issue was a real letter from a Ukrainian boy, Ihor, to St. Nicholas, which is reproduced in its original form on the envelope.