Amin, a farmer from the village of Krasny Kurgan in Russia's southern Karachay-Cherkess Republic, told the Mash Telegram channel about how he became a real life Santa.
Straight out of a fairy tale, the story began one day in mid-December when Amin spotted a white helium balloon falling from the sky and right into his backyard. The farmer took interest in the unusual "intruder" and discovered that it had a handwritten letter attached to it.
"I understood that it was written by a child," Amin recalled. But since the letter was in a foreign language, this was about all the farmer could make of the scrawl.
Intrigued, Amin enlisted the help of his friends to decipher the message. Eventually, he found out that the letter was a message to Santa Claus, penned in German. It was written by Sophia, a nine-year-old from the Austrian city of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, some 17km (11 miles) north of Salzburg.
In the letter, the girl told Santa she was dreaming of getting a fairy tale princess' dress, a tent shaped like a medieval castle, and a hoverboard for Christmas, along with "lots of love for the whole world" so people "don't argue" as much anymore.
As soon as he learned of the letter's contents, Amin could not sit idly and decided to take Santa's duties upon himself, apparently thinking it was fate's hand that had thrown the balloon his way.
The gifts were quite pricey for the farmer and he asked his friends for help, with most of them eager to participate in making the Christmas miracle happen.
"All my friends - from everywhere, including Moscow - quickly collected the money," he said, adding that it was a race against the clock as "we had to make sure that the presents got there [to Oberndorf bei Salzburg] by December 25," the day when Catholics around the world celebrate Christmas.
Not all fairy tales have a happy ending, but this one certainly did. An actor posing as Santa handed the gifts over to the happy girl in her hometown. Sophia and her family were stunned when they were contacted by the people who helped Amin to find the girl and make her dreams come true. The elated nine-year-old told local media that she now wants to learn Russian. Sophia also revealed that she was definitely going to send another balloon with Christmas wishes next year to see where it ends up.
Reader Comments
"Just like" Bob Dylan. : [Link]
I've learned to hate Russians
All through my whole life
If another war comes
It's them we must fight
To hate them and fear them
To run and to hide
And accept it all bravely
With God on my side.
(Snip)
In a many dark hour
I've been thinkin' about this
That Jesus Christ
Was betrayed by a kiss
But I can't think for you
You'll have to decide
Whether Judas Iscariot
Had God on his side.
So now as I'm leavin'
I'm weary as Hell
The confusion I'm feelin'
Ain't no tongue can tell
The words fill my head
And fall to the floor
If God's on our side
He'll stop the next war.
R.C.
Or did Dylan write that "God sold his (God's) soul to the devil." Frankly seems impossible to me.
R.C.
And a hny to you also.
I've mostly flat picked - I STILL do not have to cut my nails, they just break off about 1mm past the quick - but that's not good for classical.
A GF surprised me with tix, in Miami to see Segovia. He died 12 hours later on the flight home to spain. PHENOMENAL!
RJ Too. II've gotten 'great' at racquetball (top 20 in the A division in Florida), Surfing (Oldest guy ever on UF Surf team); and guitar. But there are always folks better. (E.g.,my last two surfing contests had Kelly Slater at age 9? in the Menehunes division. He was getting two foot of air on one foot Florida slop. All wek in the best Masters (~24-29) had to say:
1) He's gonna be world champ. (He's done it ELEVEN TIMES! And He just won the Triple Crown, at age 47!); and,
2) "Thank God he's not in our division!"
R.C.
I taught myself to play guitar but was so quickly surpassed by 12yo daughter, who went to the Conservatoire, that I gave up.
Acquired an electric piano which was fun but regrettably lent it to a young relative who returned it broken. By which time I was hooked on the net.
I keep thinking about another as playing an instrument is so enjoyable and good for you in many ways, but already have too many seated activities.
specifically, it has to do with the caucus mountains.
immigrant song lyrics, Led Zeppelin.
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