Ein Warmes Weihnachten by Sahir Wartanian

When you head to downtown Böblingen during Christmas, you feel right at home. people are singing Christmas carols, ice skating on the frozen lake, bakers are baking fresh pastries and handing them out to the children. Buildings are decorated with Christmas lights, and you hear the clicking of people walking on the cobblestone roads. The white snow flutters to the ground like leaves during Autumn. Children are running around and paying. Everyone is having a good time with festivities, but no one pays attention to the less fortunate.
Two men were shriveled up on the sidewalk with worn out clothes and tattered blankets. Their pants had holes in them, their jackets were deteriorating, the colors of the jackets were faded. Their blankets were frayed and ripped. They each had a very old mattress which no longer had the chalky white color mattresses usually had. The two men were clearly uncomfortable but didn’t ask for anything, no money, food, or clothing. People were walking by them as if they were invisible and unreal. Some people handed them a few euros as it was Christmas, but they didn’t acknowledge them or conversate with them.

My mom and I walked up to them and my mom asked them “Hallo, brauchst du etwas?” (Hello, do you need anything?)

The two men said “Nein, wir brauchen nichts, aber danke und frohe Weihnachten!” (No, we don’t need anything, but thank you, and Merry Christmas!.)

“Bist du sicher?” (are you sure?) inquired my mom.

“Ja, wir bitten um nichts” (yes, we don’t request for anything.)

To me, it was odd that these men didn’t ask for anything despite them struggling in the cold at night.

“OK,” said my mom but she still left a few euros for them.

After we left, we went ice skating and got food with friends. Ice skating was so much fun. My friends and I raced each other around the rink. We ate warm Berliners ( a doughnut with jam inside) After we were finished ice skating and eating, my mom said “diese beiden Männer haben nicht nach etwas gefragt und die Leute haben ihnen nicht wirklich etwas gegeben. es ist nicht richtig, dass alle von uns genießen warmes Essen, bequeme Kleidung und Gesellschaft von Freunden, während sie in der Kälte sind mit kaum etwas warm.”. (those two men didn't ask for anything and people didn't really give them anything. it isn't right that all of us are enjoying warm food, comfortable clothing, and the company of friends while they are out in the cold with nothing to eat or anything to keep them warm.)

So my mom and I went and got some pastries, soup, and a couple of blankets. We went back to the men and my mom told me to hand the stuff to them. “Gib jedem von ihnen Gebäck, Suppe und eine Decke.” (Give each of them pastries, soup, and a blanket.)

The men were very grateful that we had provided them with food and a blanket to keep them warm. “Vielen Dank für all das, wir sind so dankbar, dass du uns mit Essen und Decken versorgt hast, um uns warm zu halten. Sie haben unser Weihnachten so viel besser gemacht.” (thank you so much for all of this, we are so grateful that you have provided us with food and blankets to keep us warm. you guys made our Christmas so much better.)

It’s amazing how a random act of kindness can make someone’s day. With my mom providing those two men with some food and money, it made their Christmas a little better, They felt included in the Christmas spirit. You don’t have to do anything astounding to make someone’s day. Something as simple as a compliment can cheer someone up. This experience is significant to me because it was the first time I understood that I was lucky to have everything I have and that there are people out there who may not have everything they need, but they have a big heart. We should all do our part and help those who need it because if we were in their position, we would want someone to help us.

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