For many people, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year.
Even though December is the darkest and coldest of all months, It is also a month where every street will be filled with a warm soft light, and warmth will seem to flow from every shop and every window. Peoples smiles just seems a little more warm, a little more genuine.
Excited children will run around and wonder what will be there for them under the christmas tree this year.
Maria as well, loved Christmas just as much as anyone. Even if she already knew there wouldn't be a christmas present for her under the tree even though she was a child to. For as it happened, Maria was very poor.
She had no parents and no family, Maria was just a poor orphan whom lived at the orphanage and was send out into the city to help clean up, deliver food and sell various items to earn her own keep at the cities orphanage.
At summer Maria was usually tasked with selling flowers, her innocent face and large blue eyes often helped people opening up their pockets out of pity. In winter though, there were no flowers to sell, the closest to it was just pieces of holly.
And Maria walked the street with her little basket containing the green prickly plant with the red berries that was traditional for the season.
"Piece of holly!" Maria offered the people walking past her. "Pieces of holly! A bit of decoration for christmas, pieces of holly!" There wasn't much luck this day, people were busy minding their own business, the snow had slowed a lot of people down and they were eager to go home. This didn't look good for Maria… If she didn't fulfill her quota Madame Bates would be very cross. The punishments for not fulfilling ones quota could wary, sometimes it meant having to go to bed without dinner. Other times it meant scrubbing the floor…. At worst though it could mean sleeping in the cold wet basement which was a cruel punishment, for that place were filled with mice and didn't even have a bed, as well was there holes in the wall which would make the room as cold as the outside, which could be very cold indeed, especially here at winter where the snow laid thick outside.
Maria though would prefer to be able to eat as well as she was starting to get rather hungry, things though didn't ligthen up and Marie did not manage to sell anymore holly so it was with a hung head she returned to the run down orphanage and a very angry Madame Bates.
"Is this all you could do?" Madame Bates asked. "Honestly, here I am working day and night to take care of you snot nosed children and you can't even sell a bit of Holly?" she asked.
The rest of the children swallowed as they all stepped away, afraid to be caught in the cross fire.
"I'm sorry Madame." Maria looked down. "Please, may I go to the dining hall?" she asked. "My stomach is starting to hurt."
"Eat? She wants to eat! What kind of cheek!" Madame Bates huffed. "Like everybody else you were just left on my door step, and it was up to me to take care of you! You're ugly, ungreateful and entirely unpleasent. No wonder not even your mother wants you." she snorted making Marie squint her eyes.
"I'm sorry madame." Maria swallowed, trying to keep back her tears.
"Here's what you're going to do!" Madame Bates then stated as she crossed her arms. "There's a big Christmas party in town today, there will be a lot of people, many of them will even be drunk. You will go there and sell every last little bit of Holly. Then you may eat."
"The entire basket?" Marie asked. "But that's impossible."
"Didn't you hear me?" Madame Bates asked in a snap. "So if you want to eat you better get started, NOW!" she shouted.
That made Maria jump and she turned around to run back into town through the snow.
To find the place the christmas party took place wasn't very hard, it was the great town hall and it was bathed in light. Looking through the window could Maria see the great lines of tables filled with christmas cakes and other goods. What really drew Maria's eyes to it though was enormous christmas tree standing right there in the middle.
There seemed to be a glass ball on every branch, glittering from all the candle lights attached to the tree, small drums, angels and soldiers hung from their branches and then of course un top was a magnificent golden star!
Under the tree there was a ton of toys! There were dolls, teddy bears, wooden toy muskets, colorful scarfs and everything you could ever dream off. It looked like something from a real genuine fairy tale.
Everything inside just looked so great and wonderful, and deep inside Maria couldn't help but feel the jalousie rising.
Any moment now people would come and eat until they were ready to vomit, children would get all the presents and start to play with them and Maria… wasn't allowed any of it. It was so unfair to say the least! What she wouldn't do for just one single present, she didn't care what it was, if only it was something nice she could call her own. Perhaps a new pair of woolen gloves would be nice, her fingers were freezing already and they were bound to become numb before long. Yes! Woolen gloves for a christmas present, Marisa would like that. But of course, that was not to happen.
And yes it went exactly as Maria had anticipated, soon all the adults came with their children in tow, and the children would zoom straight to the tree with all the presents while the adults headed for the table with all the wine bottles.
A poor woman had to shout at the children. "Only one present each! Only one each! Otherwise there wont be enough for everyone!"
"But how will this regiment be able to function without its captain?!" A boy asked angrily as he held up a box of tin soldiers and then a bigger figure of a tin general.
"Well, if you pick the soldiers then maybe your parents will buy you the general when it's really christmas." The kind lady offered.
"But that's days away!" The boy complained. "You'll want the regiment to be leader less for so long!"
Maria just wanted to punch the boy. Didn't he know how lucky he was to get anything at all? Though she knew that if she did that she would be thrown out and then she wouldn't be able to sell any holly at all. And thusly she placed herself beside the opening with her basket and held up the little piece of green. "Holly for Christmas." she asked. "Holly for Christmas."
There was no luck though, people were to busy getting to all the goods inside and ones they got out again they were to drunk to bother with Holly.
Soon it became dark outside and even colder while the inside remained light and warm, people were cheering and laughing, children were playing with their toys and it became obvious that the toys were just a clever plan so the children wouldn't bother their parents.
Ones again Maria peered through the window to get a glimpse of the beautiful christmas tree, and she realised that every single present was gone…. That is all but one.
Because laying there under the tree all alone was an odd doll like thing. It looked like a soldier, except he had big round eyes and a square mouth with exposed teethes, though he looked quiet odd. While his upper body was square and stout, his legs were tiny and looked like they wouldn't be able to lift the stout body, his head were even larger and he was all out of proportions! The odd little man had a blue painted uniform and a big white beard seemingly made from cotton, yet the moustacio was black! How very strange. It was a nutcracker, laying there utterly alone, left by himself.
That is until one girl picked it up and held it up in front of the boy from before. "Here's your general!" she stated in a mean smile. "He can leads your troops into battle!"
"Ew no!" The boy exclaimed. "He's ugly! Why would I want him?" he asked. "You'll take it!"
"There is no way!" The girl exclaimed. "He'll destroy my tea parties looking so ugly! Look at those eyes, he looks scary like that! Can he even blink?" she asked reffering to the large round and unblinking eyes painted on his square face. "He'll make my dolls faint from fright! Hey Clara! You'll take him!" she shouted just throwing the nutcracker at another girl hitting her in the head with it.
"AUW!" The girl cried then looked down. "Don't be so mean! Why would I ever want such a thing, it looks stupid!" she exclaimed kicking the poor nutcracker away which made Maria gasp in horror.
Then another boy grinned and kicked him to, suddenly it seemed like everyone had taken a liking to this game of kicking and throwing the poor nut cracker and each kick made it hurt Maria's insides.
And then suddenly a big *Snap* sounded, as the arm broke off the nutcracker making the girl hold him disappointed. "And now it's broken! What a piece of trash." she rolled her eyes throwing the doll over her shoulder so it landed lifeless on the floor.
"NO!" Maria shouted by the sight, no one heard her though. The noise from inside was to loud and the children to busy trying to find something else to do while the broken nutcracker on the floor was already forgotten. Marie swallowed by the sight of it then slowly dropped down under the window, down in the snow.
The party went on, and Maria tried to sell some more Holly but still there was no luck, not even as people started to go home. Parents with red faces and children clutching their presents and then suddenly… It was all quiet.
It was at that time Maria took a deep breath, and then dared to peak into the great town hall.
The candles had all burned down leaving the room in darkness, yet still the decorations were still glittering and the room was warm, somehow it all looked just as wonderful as before, even if it was now empty.
There were left overs from all the christmas treats and Marie just couldn't help her self but pick up a cookie and bite into the sweet treat.
It was indeed delicious, the ginger and orange taste simply melted on Marie's tongue and she closed her eyes in enjoyment.
That though was when Marie stopped, and she turned her head to see the nutcracker from before, still laying on the floor where he had been left with his face down and the arm missing. Slowly Marie removed the cookie from her mouth and instead walked over to the nutcracker. Carefully she sat down and reached for the nutcracker. She hesitated slightly but then finally gently picked up the wooden toy and turned him around to be faced with his round eyes and big square teethes.
Maria looked sadly at the nutcracker and laid a hand on the side of his head. "Poor nutcracker, you don't deserve this." she said. "You didn't do anything wrong and those children were kicking you… That's not the worst part though is it?" she asked looking at the nutcracker, and his big round eyes looked back, somehow looking very sad as if he knew what she was saying. "I know, the worst part is when no one wants you. I know that feeling, no one wants me either." Maria admitted then looked at his left shoulder where an arm was missing. "Oh no your arm, it must be somewhere around here!" Maria stated as she looked around and then finally saw it, laying under the christmas tree. Immediately Maria picked up the arm and then carefully put it back into place, though sadly she noted it was still loose and as such she ripped off a piece of her skirt to tie around the arm as a sling. "There, now just be careful with it for a while!" she asked.
The nutcracker didn't respond but just looked at Maria with those empty eyes that looked genuinely sad, not just sad but outright heartbroken and Maria swallowed then hugged the nutcracker close.
"Don't be sad please." Maria asked. "I know my home is not as warm or nice as any of those children, but you can come with me!" she assured. "I wont just leave you and forget you I promise, and I most certainly will not kick you! We can look after each other you and I." she assured. Then gently, as gently as Maria could she put the nutcracker inside of her coat and carried him home as if he was a precious treasure.
By the time Maria made it home, both Madame Bates and all the other children had already gone to sleep and as such Marie sneaked towards her own bed place at the attic.
Gingerly did Maria put the nutcracker in the window frame, careful not to touch nor strain his arm and then exhausted did Marie fall a sleep in her own bed.
So deep was Maria in her sleep that she didn't witness the wonder that soon after happened.
Because as the big bell tower started to ring midnight, the nutcracker slowly began to move and at the stroke of twelve he stood up and looked towards the girl in the bed.
His eyes did indeed look very sad, and that wasn't by chance because that is also how he felt. Then he drew his tiny sword and faced towards the window holding the sword high, determined to keep guard for as long as he could.
As Maria woke early next morning though, the nutcracker was back exactly the way she had left him. A lifeless item in the window.
Maria didn't mind that though, she couldn't remember anyone ever having greeted her when she woke up and she smiled at him. "Good morning Nutcracker." she said. "Feeling better? I hope so, i'm going to keep the sling on though so don't move that arm!" she asked. "I'm really sorry I need to run! I have holly to sell today!" she stated as she turned around and ran down the stairs afraid to be late.
Leaving behind the lonely nutcracker whom would dutifully wait for Maria's return.