Christmas Calendar 10
Bertolt Brecht
Package The love of God
Take your chairs and tea glasses with here behind the stove and do not forget the rum. It's good to have it warm when it is related of the cold.
Some people, especially a certain kind of men who has something against sentimentality, have a strong aversion to Christmas. But at least one Christmas in my life really is with me in your memory. It was Christmas Eve 1908 in Chicago. I came to Chicago in early November, and it was said I immediately, when I inquired after the general situation, it would be the hardest winter that it could already bring enough unpleasant city-state. When I asked how things were with the opportunities for a boilermaker, I was told, boilermakers had no chance, and when I was looking for a reasonably possible place to sleep, everything was too expensive for me. And learned a lot in the winter of 1908 in Chicago, from all professions. And the wind was blowing across Lake Michigan from the awful through the whole of December and the end of the month also entered into a number of large meatpacking factories to run, threw a flood of unemployed on the cold streets.
We trudged for days through all the neighborhoods and searched desperately for some work and were glad when we in the evening in a tiny, had to stay with exhausted people filled bars in the slaughterhouse district. There we had it at least warm, and could sit still. And we sat as long as it was with some a glass of whiskey, and we saved all the day long for this to have a glass of whiskey in those were the heat, noise and comrades included, all for what it hopes to For us, still existed. There we were sitting on Christmas Eve this year, and the restaurant was more crowded than usual, and the whiskey still, and the aqueous Audience desperate yet. It is obvious that neither the public nor advised the landlord in a festive mood when the whole problem of the guests is to suffice with a glass all night, and the whole problem of the host, also bring those empty glasses were standing before him.
But about ten clock came in two or three guys who had to know where the hell did a few dollars in his pocket and the inviting, because it was just Christmas and sentimentality in the air was, the whole audience one, a few extra glasses to empty. Five minutes later the whole place was unrecognizable. All came for the fresh whiskey (and now incredibly fit to on that was poured all correct), the tables were pushed together, and a chilly-looking girl was asked to dance a cakewalk, with all participants clapped their hands hard to beat. But what can I say, the devil liked his black hand in the game, there was no right mood.
Yes, almost from the beginning adopted the event a malicious character directly. I think it was the compulsion to have to give presents to all incites Sun The donors of these Christmas spirit was not regarded with friendly eyes. Even after de first glass of whiskey sponsored the plan was taken to a real Christmas present, it were a company a large scale to make.
Since not an abundance of gifts was available, would be less directly useful and keep more of those gifts that were for the match Beschenkenden and maybe even had a deeper meaning.
We gave the landlord a bucket of dirty water from the snow outside, where it gave them just enough so that he with his old whiskey still in the new year enough. The waiter gave us an old, broken tin can, so he would at least play a decent service , and one to the corresponding local Girls a jagged knife, so that they could scrape at least the layer of powder last year .
All these gifts were by those present, except perhaps only the recipient, honored with herausfordernem applause. And then came the main fun.
Namely, among us a man who had to have been a weak point. He sat there every night, and people who got along like thought they could say with certainty that he, as indifferent he may claim to be, a certain insurmountable fear have mainly had to do with the police, like it. But everyone could see, that he was in any good skin.
that man we thought of something very special. We tore out of an old address book with the permission of the host of three pages that were louder police stations, they beat thoroughly in a newspaper and handed the man our package, it came in a great silence, as we presented. The man took the package in his hand hesitantly and looked at us with a slightly chalky smile up from below. I noticed how he felt with the fingers, the package in order before opening to determine what might be in it. But then he made it up quickly.
And then something very strange. The man fumbled just the string with which the 'gift' was tied up when his view, apparently absent in the newspaper, fell into the interesting Adreßbuchblätter were beaten. But there was his view no longer absent. His whole thin body (he was very long) writhed together, so to speak to the newspaper, he bent his face deep down and read it. Never, neither before nor after, I ever see a man reading Sun He swallowed what he read, easy. And then he looked up. And again I have never, neither before nor after seeing a look as brilliant as this man
"I just read in the newspaper," he said with a rusty, painfully quiet voice, standing in ridiculous contrast to his beaming face, "that the whole thing is simply solved a long time. Everyone in Ohio knows that I had to do with the affair, not the least." And then he laughed. been
And all of us that we had expected astonished bystanders something completely different and almost all realized that the man was under some accusation, and now, as he had just learned from the newspaper rehabilitated, had started suddenly, from to laugh heartily and almost out of the heart, and thus a big swing came to our event, which some bitterness was ever forgotten, and it became a excellent Christmas, which lasted until morning, and all satisfied.
And in this general satisfaction, it played no role, of course, that this newspaper had we not chosen, but God.
*****
films seen in recent days to pay off some really for everyone!
# 9 - 3D-animated film, after the Great War play between man and machine in a post-apocalyptic, desolate world ... nice idea, great animation, but are far from plausible. Would have expected more, but maybe you should have seen.
The Art of Negative Thinking - A depressive mixed wheelchair to a pseudo-happy group of handicapped people. Macabre, funny film from Scandinavia, but also would have even more to get out off.
Spongebob Squarepants - The Movie - astray, crazy, crazy. Those who do not even withstand a whole Spongebob TV episode, should keep away from this film. Everyone else will have fun;).
Ratatouille - I think the best computer animated movie of recent years. Wonderfully lovingly made, detailed and crazy funny Pixar production.
The Reader - I have finally seen the film version of this book. It is well done, just as I had imagined when reading too many scenes. Starts very good, then at least after 90 minutes again some lengths - and at least three locations where one imagines the film is over. Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes sovereign usual, from the David Kross-type shooting star I had expected more. The synchronization is unfortunately often wooden.
The Nightmare Before Christmas - The Christmas classic that once a year, can sometimes be.
films in the coming weeks are still there: Waltz with Bashir, The Bucket List on Hellboy - The Golden Army, Paris 2054 - Renaissance
