Christmas reading with Uwe Stöß
Christmas. The scent of gingerbread. Candlelight. Cuddling up on the sofa. Memories rise up. And become the present. Grandma and Grandpa are there, not quite, but almost as they were in childhood.
And with them: The Christmas devil.
"Grandma and her helpers really got me again with the Christmas devil, when I was already big, almost five." The Christmas devil is after those who are looking for presents that have not yet been given, who peek through keyholes, who eavesdrop on Christmas preparations or who want to rummage in cupboards and leave them without a trace - has that ever worked?
The Christmas devil shrinks down to miniature size when he gets caught. It turns the person caught out into an old-fashioned gingerbread man.
So should I go on a search with Grandpa? I ask him if he knows the Christmas devil. Sure, it's been after him before.
"Did it get you?" "No, otherwise you'd be sitting next to an old-fashioned gingerbread man right now."
So what Grandma says is true ...
