Beleuchtetes Bauernhaus bei Nacht mit Schnee, umgeben von verschneiten Bäumen unter Sternenhimmel.

Christmas

On Christmas Eve, the animals speak
and bring the message of peace

Christmas – there are childhood memories, suddenly it smells of incense, of vanilla crescents and nut macaroons, of food that your mother is preparingand everyone waits until a little bell rings:“The Christ Child is here!”. Even the coolest people, furtively wipe away a little tear when the family, or, if the family membersare not in such a good moodvocally, a CD, the most beautiful song in the world: “Silent Night, Holy Night …”

The dog, the cat, the hamster and the budgie are not infected by the excitement of the humans. What would happen if we could give animalsa voice? The dogs would say: “I want to be able to walk a lot more”,the wild animals would want us not to deforest their natural living room and their habitat to become ever more limited. Every animal would have its own Christmas wish.

“Snow, lots of snow, look outside, it’s snowing. I want to go outside!” the dogs shout. Sandy says: “Oh God, please don’t stress. First I need to know if there’s a dog treat, or maybe some dog treats, under the Christmas tree. A small parcel in red paperlooks like it contains dog treats. My nose is getting nervous too”. In the garden, three magpies are lurking in the tall trees and cawing “Jewellery would be great. Some people get jewellery for Christmas. Let’s hope thatthereisa window open! I wish for a shiny diamond, or a pearl necklace for my friend Elster Olga.” The hedgehog listens to Christmas carols in hibernation and dreams of spring.

Weißer Hund mit flauschigem Fell steht im Schnee auf einem umzäunten Gelände.

“Once again, nobody thinks about us. We little field mice want a small stable with lots of hay and straw where we can hide. And every now and then the ox and donkeydrop a little grain too, that’s for us little mice”. Marie, the donkey, perks up and gently but firmly kicks Moritz in the backside: “OK, my dears. Now listen to me carefully. Everything has to be shiny and great. Does anyone elsethinkof youthinkingthat we should prepare the crib?”. “What cot?” says Batman the sheep. “Typical.” Marie gets annoyed. “Now I almost have to say: typical, you stupid sheep. But sheep are not stupid. The manger with the baby in the straw bed and Joseph and Mary, dwe still have to prepare it. If we don’t hurry, we’ll really have perfect presents!Once a year, you can probably expect cooperation, my dears “. Marie is beside herself, but suddenly she stops. She heard familiar donkey voices from the sky above. “Iaaaah, hello lovelies. It’s us: Batis and the little one Lilly and Charly”.
“Ohhh, look. There’s a twinkling star. Up there, above the farmhouse. And there seee me Batis, the little Lilly and her Charly. Und Saki und all die anderen. Haaaaallo, haaaallo!” shouts Marie and the others excitedly.

Freundlicher Esel mit rotem Halfter steht auf einer Wiese vor einem Bauernhof, Personen im Hintergrund.

Lämmchen mit schwarzer Gesichtszeichnung steht im Stroh, neben Batman-Stofftier, Gut Aiderbichl.

“Hello Mariechen, today is a special day. We animals can talk, and we thought we’d reportns from the sky. Are you all right?”. Batis soft, smoky voice tickles Marie and Batman’s ears. They listen and hear as Batis narrates:“A few years ago, I passed away that evening when the baby Jesus was laid in the manger. Everyone was very sad at the time. I was already very old and tired. But whenever it’s Christmas Eve, I remember the people on earth.” “Iaaaaah, I, little Lilly, and my friend Charly wish you alln a Merry Christmas.
Many years we have observed with a grinthe old men, how sometimes the sheep and we, the donkeys, knocked over the wooden figures of St Mary and St Joseph in the manger,or how even Joseph had to suffer a serious head injuryon one occasion. A thick scarf was then wrapped around it and everything was fine again. It was funny on Earth too, it was funny!”.

Nahaufnahme eines Esels mit rotem Halfter vor wolkenbedecktem Himmel auf Gut Aiderbichl.

Esel im Vordergrund auf verschneitem Hof vor einem großen Landhaus mit Personen im Hintergrund.

Then Sammy, Amadeus and Resi come round the corner. Sammy is particularly well groomed today: “The ox, that’s me Sammy, and my little friends Amadeus and Resi, are now going to the crèche. We want to be there when the child – that’s the main thing, the child – is laid in the manger with the straw. And the flea hase also come with me. You know, the flea that tickles the little child’s ear and makes the child smile.”

It’s getting dark, hundreds of little lights illuminate the courtyard. All the donkeys, ponies, pigs, llamas, ducks and geese and many more stand at the fence and watch, as the large lantern denfigures of Joseph and his Mary and dem smalln Child in the mangergives light. In the bright candlelight you can see that the Christ Child is smiling: Sammy has let the little flea out of the box. It is now tickling the child’s tiny ear.

Schwarzes Hochlandrind mit langen Hörnern steht im Schnee, umzäunt, Gut Aiderbichl.

All the animals standing around the manger start to smile. “Hopefully people will remember the main thing about Christmas Eve: the little child who smiles,” says big Sammy and all the animals start to moo and iaaaah and chatter and neigh.Farmers have always included animals in their customs. In rural areas, people go to the stables after Christmas mass and give their animals apples, bread, nuts and many other treats. The farmers talk to their animals and often get a response.On Christmas Eve, it is said, the animals speak human language. Legend has it that listening is not permitted.But one thing is clear: on Christmas Eve, the animals bring the message of peace to the world. But only those people who are open to it understand it.