Glitter instead of Grinch

She loves the hotel, the warm colours in the living room, the crackling of the fire pit on the terrace and the dancing snowflakes she watches from the window. For her, winter is an invitation to follow her childlike curiosity and simply linger in the moment every now and then.

But on those days, everyone seemed oddly stressed. They rushed back and forth, talking about ski lessons, gifts and days gone by. Sophie felt a little sad. She longed for that Christmas feeling that usually wrapped her like a warm scarf on a cold winter night. This year, it seemed to be hiding.

So she went outside – into the snow-covered Gassner garden, to the tree house, where the moonlight glistened on the trees and the world stood still for a moment. She wandered over to the wildlife feeding area, looked around and listened. At first, she heard only the wind. Then the soft patter of snow falling from the branches. And then – a whisper.

Sophie blinked. In front of her stood a little sparrow, the same one that always fluttered around outside the restaurant window at breakfast time. Behind him hopped a blackbird. And a squirrel climbed down from the tree house, curious.

‘You... can talk?’ whispered Sophie.

‘We always have,’ replied the sparrow. ‘But nobody listens to us anymore.’ The blackbird shook its feathers. ‘You humans have so much noise in your heads. There’s no room left for magic.’

‘What does magic mean?’ asked Sophie.

The squirrel sat down on a branch and smiled – at least it looked like it was smiling. ‘Magic,’ it said, "is what's really important: sharing a meal with your loved ones, where everyone talks about their day and the others listen attentively. People who give you a smile without wanting to say anything. A moment that just happens during the day and touches your heart. A hand that invites you to walk together in the same direction. An open ear when it comes to the most important things."

She sat with the animals at the feeding place for a while – and more and more of them arrived. She listened to their stories, asked questions – and suddenly rediscovered that Christmas feeling she had missed so much. It had crept up on her quietly. While talking and listening.

When she returned to the hotel later, Sonja was just lighting all four candles on the Advent wreath. ‘Sophie, you look so happy, ’ she said. ‘What did you discover outside?’ Sophie smiled. ‘Magic. Everything that makes life sparkle, ’ she said. ‘The animals told me about it. It was so nice to listen to their stories.’

Sonja stopped. She also stood and listened, curious to hear what the little girl had to say. That was exactly what she had been missing for Christmas Eve: a little Christmas story for everyone who sometimes feels like the Grinch, with all the challenges that life brings. For everyone who longs for a little sparkle, for magic. How good that she had taken the time to listen to little Sophie.

And while Sonja later told her guests about Sophie's Christmas story, the animals from the forest looked through the window curiously and watched as the hearts of the guests gradually began to sparkle and glitter again. The magic had returned and gave everyone who opened their hearts to what was truly important an unforgettably beautiful Christmas at Gassner.