On a cold winter night, snowflakes heavily fell from the sky. Meanwhile, the residents of the small village were preparing for Christmas in their warm homes. The holiday lights flickered in the windows, and the warm atmosphere of Christmas pervaded the entire village.
There was only one person who did not feel the true spirit of Christmas. An old man who had lived alone for years. His wife had passed away, his children and grandchildren lived far away, and this Christmas it seemed that they could not come home due to the heavy snow.
The old man’s favorite holiday was Christmas, but now he didn’t feel as happy as he used to. Something was missing this year. He couldn’t put his finger on it, since he was already used to being alone.
One night, as the old man was getting ready to go to bed, he noticed someone knocking on his door. He opened it, but he didn’t see anyone. He thought that his senses were playing tricks on him because of his old age.
But as soon as he was about to go back to bed, he heard the knocking again. What else could he do but get up and go to the door? He opened it again, but still didn’t see anyone. He was just about to get frustrated when he accidentally looked down and saw a little gnome standing at the door.
The old man rubbed his eyes, as he had not believed in the existence of gnomes for a long time. While he was wondering what was happening to him, the gnome spoke:
–Hi! I’m one of the Christmas gnomes. I’ve come to help you find what’s missing from the holiday.
The old man welcomed the gnome with joy. He offered him a little cookie and warm milk. As they talked, the old man told the gnome that this holiday was not as joyful for him. He was always plagued by a sense of loss, but he couldn’t figure out what it was.
The gnome nodded and reached into his pocket. He then held a shining powder in his hand and said:
–I know what’s missing from the holiday. What’s missing are the people you can’t be with: your wife, your daughter, your two sons, and your grandchildren.
The old man pondered and realized that this was indeed the source of the tightness in his chest. Although he didn’t admit it to himself, he felt very lonely and missed his family.
The gnome imagined how he could make the old man’s Christmas happy again, then closed his eyes and blew the powder on the old man. The old man then understood that the gnome had magical powers. However, he never suspected what would happen next.
The gnome said:
–I can’t bring your wife back, but I can make your Christmas joyful. Now go to bed and you’ll see that the warm atmosphere of Christmas will return to you tomorrow!
The old man’s heart was filled with gratitude, and with tears in his eyes, he thanked the Christmas gnome for his help. Then he went to bed and fell into a deep sleep.
When he woke up in the morning, he thought it was all a dream. He sat up in bed and reached for his slippers with his feet. As he looked around the room, he noticed a little sparkle. That’s when he saw that a little bit of the magic powder the gnome had blown on him had fallen on the floor. He hadn’t even had time to be amazed by the strange night, when there was already a knock at the door.
He got up, opened the door, and lo and behold, all of his children and grandchildren were standing at the door with wide smiles on their faces. The strange feeling from the night before had overcome them, and they had set out early in the morning to spend Christmas with him despite the harsh weather. Of course, only we know the reason for this. Psst, don’t tell anyone, maybe the Christmas gnome will visit them today!
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