My Christmas Village
That village, sheltered by mountains and flanked by pine and leafy chestnut trees, awoke white and cold, giving that place, on that morning, a magical vision of the most beautiful fairy tale.
Its pine trees, with thousands of needles shining in the morning light, the chestnut branches bent to the ground by the weight of the snow, resembled little cotton houses, inviting those who dared to enter them to live a beautiful enchanting story. Its streams, whose waters sang lullabies, that morning were mirrors reflecting the fragile figures of those children, forgetting hardships to live only the magical moment of that place.
It was time to play, to leave behind the routine of their always identical days: schoolwork and work in the fields such as tending to the animals and tilling the land. The time had come to free their spirits and give wings to their accumulated creativity. And so one would hear:
“Hey António, grab this one…”
Referring to snowballs that no one could catch because they crumbled with the impact.
“Hey Zé, look how handsome you are!”
While pointing to a snowman hastily made because the cold numbed his hands.
The girls, more dreamy but no less mischievous, imagined places of their own where there was no shortage of knights-errant and enchanted princes who would come to save them from the dragon’s claws.
And suddenly, shouts were heard calling for someone:
“Hey António, lunch is on the table; come and eat!”
And another shout was heard:
“Hey Zé, come and eat, lunch is getting cold!”
It was now time to feed the body, worn out by the play and the anxiety of the approaching night. It was Christmas Eve, the night when Baby Jesus visited homes to place presents in the shoes of those who had behaved well. This would mean something for some, nothing for others, not because they had behaved badly, but simply because life didn’t allow it. However, this was no reason for sadness among those children. The snow would be there waiting for them for a few more days to satisfy their poetic souls and their frenetic bodies, eager to put into practice everything they imagined possible to do at that time, at that hour, and only in that place.
Maria Vitória – December 2025