18,99 €
Mehr erfahren.
- Herausgeber: novum premium Verlag
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023
Marie has always loved Christmas more than anything - nothing and no one can stop her from celebrating it. At the end of the year, she now takes time out to get away from the hectic everyday life of our fast-paced times. She remembers fun Christmases in her childhood, but also the traditional celebration in hard times full of strokes of fate. Marie philosophizes about the art of turning misfortune into happiness, and reflects on life, which means constant change and does not allow itself to be dictated anything ... Colorful and beautiful it is, like tinsel!
Das E-Book können Sie in Legimi-Apps oder einer beliebigen App lesen, die das folgende Format unterstützen:
Seitenzahl: 91
Ähnliche
Acknowledgement
From the bottom of my heart, I thank my husband Giorgio, who was not only the first to read my manuscript, but also encouraged me to publish my Christmas story "Marie's Colorful Tinsel".
Table of contents
1. time out
2. shaped by childhood
3. who needs perfection?
4. stressful christmas time
5. the stress you put on yourself
6. little Marie has merry Christmas
7. the Christmas decoration
8. gratitude, change of life
9. turn misfortune into happiness
10. walk through the district
11. the Christmas crib
12. little Marie on the eve of christmas
13. little Marie before the presents
14. little Marie - Bescherung at last
15. trip to the small town
16. people in hard times
17. little Marie and the church
18. the relationship with the church becomes different
19. the Christmas season
20. loneliness of modern times
21. christmas gifts
22. new year's eve
The time out
A dream has come true for Marie, she can hardly believe her luck.
It is the end of November, and she has free time until after January 6.
Ever since she had started her education at the age of fifteen in order to learn a trade, she had not been able to enjoy the Christmas season properly. That was almost forty years ago now. Marie thinks wistfully back to her childhood, when she didn't know the word "stress.
When you are a child, you don't have to worry about anything, parents try to protect the child as much as they can.
But it's in the nature of things, and that's a good thing, that sooner or later you get on your own feet.
Marie always wanted a job where she had a lot of contact with people.
The disadvantage of choosing a career in the service industry, working weekends and holidays is quite normal.
Most of the time, Marie doesn't mind either, because she likes her job. But finally it worked out to plan a longer time off.
It's the Christmas season she loves so much, and she's off work. When outside over the Main river in the morning the fog spreads and covers the fields, when it gets cold and wintry and inside in the apartment it is nice and warm.
Marie sits down at her big wooden kitchen table with a cup of coffee and some books about baking on the afternoon of her first day off. She picks out cookie recipes.
Not only of the varieties that are her favorites, but also recipes that she hopes she can master.
She knows her limits, she is not the world's best baker.
But with a grin on her face, she thinks to herself:
"The family will survive."
Marie wants to use the next few weeks to really wind down from this last, very stressful year. To create distance from this fast-moving time. She only wants to do things that she enjoys. Enjoy the peace and quiet. She will not allow anyone to plan her time.
She feels that she must first gather her own strength again.
She has been looking forward to this time out for weeks. Her body and also her soul show clearly lately that she urgently needs distance from everyday life. She sleeps poorly and wakes up frequently during the night. She is also nervous and easily irritable during the day. Even the people who often deal with her have not failed to notice this. She recognizes the worried looks of her family.
The pitying eye blinks with the words:
"Why don't you slow down a little bit?"
In earlier times, Marie did not pay attention to such signs. With the result that she became seriously ill. Since then, she has been trying to be more mindful of her body and soul.
Most of the time, not always, this works out quite well.
Marie has a clear view out into nature from almost all the windows in the apartment. The trees are now losing their leaves, the shrubs and flowers are beginning to wither.
"Even nature needs its rest now to regain strength for the next year," it goes through her mind.
When it's storming outside and the first snowflakes are falling from the sky, Marie wants to decorate all nice and cozy for Christmas and make preparations for the holidays.
She is looking forward to finally having time to drink coffee comfortably by candlelight in the afternoon. Finally just being able to laze around all day as well.
Reading a good book on the couch in a jogging suit and a cozy blanket.
A book that Marie actually bought in the summer and still sits unread on the shelf.
Marie also wants to finally take the time to meet with her family again. She wants to discuss news with her family and have good, but above all open, conversations, as one can only do with one's own family or best friend. Marie feels that a lot gets lost in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Long walks through the forest or down along the river. Just letting herself drift again. She misses all that. No deadlines, just feeling life again. Marie feels an incredible longing to stop rushing around day after day. Appointment there, housework there, quickly get ready and go to work. She is really fed up and feels drained and burnt out.
But doing nothing is also a challenge for Marie.
She even manages to get some sort of recreational stress in the summer.
Marie's beloved garden, in which she also invests a lot of time, is now on winter break. The bike stays indoors even in cold and bad weather.
When the weather is nice, Marie always feels guilty if she doesn't take a bike ride for her health in her free time. Every year, Marie firmly resolves that she will take care of it next year, that her life will be calmer and less stressful. But by March at the latest, the normal madness has her back in its grip.
Maybe that's normal if you have a character somewhere between crazy, rebellious and down-to-earth, like she does.
She doesn't know.
Shaped by childhood
Marie was raised a Christian. As a child, when she came running home from the bakery with warm, fragrant bread, her mother would take the loaf of bread and, before cutting it, make three signs of the cross on it. Always, her mother never forgets that.
Her father has a rather loose relationship with the church.
His mother, Marie's grandmother, however, certainly did not.
She goes to morning mass every day, and you have to pray at her house before you eat. Marie doesn't like to go to her grandma's at mealtime. Although she otherwise voluntarily never skips a meal.
For Marie, this is clearly too much unfamiliar piety. She always feels uncomfortable when her grandma looks at her scrutinizingly because she doesn't know the prayers by heart.
But Marie also still celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas. She has not become a great churchgoer, but the thought of someone giving her a hand, especially in difficult hours, reassures her a lot.
She is a believer, not in the way her grandmother is, but she believes. She believes in love and hope. She has read the Old Testament and finds it too cruel for her taste, but she likes the New Testament better.
For them, being Christian means being human and helpful. Not perfect, because people make mistakes.
Over the years, Marie has created her own world on the subject of faith. She doesn't care whether a person is Buddhist, atheist, Jewish, Christian or Muslim. Whether he is poor or rich. Man is man.
What religion or nationality he has is not important to Marie.
For her, there are both good and bad people everywhere in the world. In Marie's environment there are certainly some people who do not understand her attitude. But she is sure that going through life with love can change everything.
Of course, not everything in Marie's life is always fun and peaceful, she also has her tantrums and meets idiots. She can also swear and curse quite a bit. Despite everything, deep in her heart she still believes that only love can be the key to people's hearts.
Giving love makes Marie happy. When she is seriously angry with someone, it eats into her soul and she is unhappy.
Hope is also always a way for Marie to get through life more easily. Without hope, Marie would probably have despaired many times.
Some people call it their fighting spirit, but it is hope that always drives them forward. The hope to get well again, to run the business successfully, to overcome losses and strokes of fate.
For Marie, love and hope are the hand that guides her through life. At Christmas time, she celebrates the feast of love and hope, on which Jesus was born.
But if other people don't want to celebrate that, she has no problem with that either. In her eyes, everyone should live as they please.
As long as it does not cause harm to anyone else.
Of course, Marie is shaped by her childhood.
Some things she has adopted, some things she has not.
Everyone is shaped by their childhood, parents and family model it, and children seek their orientation. The older Marie has become, the more she has also questioned. Because role models or parents are not perfect either.
Marie is not perfect either, certainly not.
But she will never let anyone take away her right to form her own opinion.
Who needs perfection?
Then, on one of her vacation days, Marie baked Christmas cookies.
It rained all day, and a fierce storm whistled around the house.
The delicious smell of the pastry has spread throughout the apartment and created a pre-Christmas atmosphere.
Marie stands in front of the large kitchen table where she has been setting out the baked goods all day to let them cool.
The many different kinds of cookies now have to be packed into the pretty tin boxes.
Marie looks at her work. Some are too small, others too large, some too light or too dark. That's how it is when Marie bakes, always good for a surprise.
Of course, she can not resist the temptation to try all the varieties.
Despite external imperfections, they are really tasty.
A few years ago, she still threw a tantrum when the cookies weren't visually pretty enough for her. Since she stopped telling herself that Christmas always has to be perfect, she takes it all much more lightly.
Marie even finds that the Christmas preparations bring her much more joy again. Without this perfectionism that she has imposed on herself for some reason. Now all the pressure is gone, and everything runs much more calmly and comfortably.
