"– But what a beautiful Christmas tree! And how it smells!" – Five-year-old Krysia looked at the tree standing in the room from every angle.
Shall we dress her now? Please, Mummy!
Right then, darling. I'll finish making dinner, and then we'll tackle the Christmas tree. Get changed first, and then find the paper for crafts, and I'll show you how to make a lovely garland.
The little girl smiled broadly and ran to her room.
In truth, the Christmas tree wasn't pretty at all. The not-so-fresh tree, already shedding its needles, hadn't looked presentable even when it was new. A crooked trunk and the lack of branches on one side were just some of its flaws. That's precisely why the shopkeeper gave it to Ula as a gift. Of course, he said it was from the goodness of his heart, but the woman had no doubt – he wanted to get rid of the rubbish that he wouldn't really know what to do with otherwise. It was the day before Christmas Eve and no one was thinking about a Christmas tree anymore. People were still buying their last presents, and a sense of relaxation was already in the air. No one was rushing home; the local pubs were full of celebrating Irish people. No one was on their mind to buy a Christmas tree at the last minute.
Ula gratefully accepted the gift and, with a little effort, brought it home. It took some time before she planted the sapling and placed it in the corner of the room. It looked meagre, but it was better than nothing. The most important thing was that Krysia was delighted with it.
She only had her here. The girl's father turned out to be someone completely different than…
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