The Day Before Christmas

The Day Before Christmas

Dan Uoč i Božić a

It was a cold December day just before Christmas with cold heavy blizzards and long icicles hanging down from the roofs. The traditional carols such as “Jingle Bells” could be heard echoing throughout the whole city…

Osvanuo je hladan prosinački dan s jakom snježnom mećavom i dugim sjajnim sigama koje su visjele s krovova. Tradicionalne pjesme poput Zvončića su se mogle čuti odjekujući cijelim gradom…

… which was decorated with all kinds of colourful lights, the images of happy Santa Clauses from the North Pole, ribbons and other ornaments.

… koji je bio ukrašen svim vrstama šarenih žaruljica, likovima Djeda Božićnjaka sa Sjevernog Pola, vrpcama i drugim ukrasima.

Everyone was extremely joyful spreading happiness and love except a homeless boy named Benno. Benno was walking down the street. He was sad because he wanted to spend Christmas with his own family but he didn’t have any.

Svi su vrlo radosno širili sreću i ljubav, osim malog dječaka Bennoa koji nije imao dom. Hodao je niz ulicu. Bio je tužan jer je Božić htio provesti sa obitelji koju nažalost nije imao.

Benno lived in an abandoned house near the outskirts of the city and had a job at a run-down butcher's shop

called “The King’s” cleaning floors and helping the butcher store meat. He ate leftovers or expired food. His salary was a few pence per day and

he spent it as soon as he got it in order to buy food.

Benno je ž ivio u napuštenoj kuć i pokraj predgrađa i radio je u trošnoj trgovini mesa koja se zvala „Kraljev duć an“

čisteć i tamo podove i pomaž ući mesaru spremati meso. Jeo je ostatke hrane ili hranu kojoj je istekao rok trajanja. Njegova plaća je iznosila nekoliko novčića dnevno, koje bi odmah potrošio da si kupi hranu.

The night before Benno had had a dream in which he saw an angel coming closer to him.

Jedne noć i Benno je sanjao san u kojem je vidio anđela koji mu se približ ava.

The angel spoke to him

Anđeo je progovorio

but the boy didn’t hear

ali dječ ak nije č uo

what the angel was saying. When the boy

woke up, he couldn’t understand what the dream meant.

riječ i anđela. Kad se dječ ak probudio, nije

shvatio što taj san znač i.

In the early winter morning huge snowflakes were falling down from the grey sky. Benno was walking down the street and looking through the windows‌

U rano zimsko jutro velike pahuljice snijega su padale sa sivog neba. Benno je koraÄ? ao niz ulicu i gledao kroz prozore‌

…where he could see huge fireplaces with burning wood and giving warmth, people xeroxing Christmas greeting and wrapping gifts to their beloved.

…gdje je mogao vidjeti velika ognjišta puna už arenog drvlja koja su pruž ala toplinu, ljude koji su pisali č estitke s dobrim

ž eljama i zamatali darove za svoje najdraž e.

When suddenly he saw a hurrying wealthy businessman drop his wallet. The little boy picked it up and wanted to give it back to the man, but the crowd of people separated the boy

from the businessman who soon disappeared in the distance.

Odjednom je ugledao už urbanog poslovnog č ovjeka koji je ispustio

novč anik. Mališan je podigao novč anik

ž eleć i ga vratiti nazad muškarcu, ali je masa ljudi razdvojila Bennoa i

č ovjeka koji se uskoro izgubio u daljini.

Benno looked into the wallet and was astonished as there were 500 pounds in it. The boy was instantly overjoyed and was glad that he could finally have himself a nice Christmas with gifts.

Benno je pogledao u novč anik i ostao zapanjen ugledavši 500 kuna unutra. Dječ ak se iste sekunde obradovao, sretan što ć e si ove godine konač no moć i priuštiti lijep Bož ić s darovima.

Later while little Benno was rushing home, he noticed a much younger homeless child sitting in a back alley without a coat and wearing worn-out mittens. He felt strong empathy to the child and decided to give him a

proper Christmas.

Kasnije, dok je Benno trč ao kuć i, opazio je mnogo mlađe dijete bez doma koje je sjedilo u

straž njem dijelu ulič ice, bez kaputa, noseć i iznošene rukavice. Saž alio se nad djetetom te mu je

odluč io pruž iti lijep Bož ić .

Benno went to the store and bought all kinds of clothes and food and wrapped them in nice packages. On Christmas morning he visited the boy and gave all the presents to the homeless child…

Benno je otišao u trgovinu i kupio raznovrsnu odjeć u i hranu pa ih upakirao u lijepe pakete. Na Bož ić no jutro je posjetio dječ aka te mu uruč io sve darove.

… who was absolutely surprised to receive the gifts and unwrapped them as quickly as he could with glee. Benno felt happy giving away his Christmas to someone who needed it more.

Dječ ak je bio presretan što je primio poklone i s radošć u ih je odmatao što je brž e mogao. Benno se osjeć ao sretnim što je svoj Bož ić poklonio onome komu je bio potrebniji.

Suddenly the thought

Odjednom je pomisao

about his latest dream

na san prethodne noć i

stroke his mind and

prodrmala Bennoa, te

the little boy realized

the meaning of it:

je mališan shvatio

njegovo znač enje:

The most important thing in Christmas is not the money or presents, it’s LOVE. Smisao Bož ić a nisu novac niti

pokloni – to je LJUBAV!

The STORY by Mantas Grigonis and Rokas Kalytis Vilnius Mykolas Biržiška Gymnasium, Lithuania TRANSLATION by Mirna Crnković, Lucija Demović, Ana Druga, Lora Krčmar, Magdalena Makar

Gimnazija Bjelovar, Croatia DRAWINGS by Dječji vrtić Ciciban, Croatia preschool group: Ena, Fran, Iva, Jan, Jelena, Karlo Š., Karlo U., Krešimir, Lana B., Lana P., Lana Z., Lea D., Lea Š., Lena, Leon B., Leon Š., Magdalena, Natalija, Nika, Petar, Tara P., Tara T., Taša, Tea, Tin

The story is a part of the eTwinning project

„We Wish You a Merry Christmas!“ The participants of the project

Gimnazija Bjelovar, Croatia Vilnius Mykolas Biržiška Gymnasium, Lithuania Founders Mihaela Kelava, Croatia Lina Morkūnienė, Lithuania

December 2013