The rainbow never sets

After the meal there was another presentation of gifts, another Christmas tree, and singing in front of the piano. Tante Margaret was a good pianist.

We spent most of our time playing together, either with our new toys, but mostly we boys played some games together, while the grown-ups sat and talked. The four of us were like brothers, sometimes we fought, but mostly we got on very well together.

Opa and Onkel Werner interrupted our games. Onkel Werner said: "Can I have one of your balloons, which you had for Christmas, please?"

"Sure, here is one," I said. "A nice red balloon. What do you want it for?"

"I'll show you," said Onkel Werner. He sent Horst to Fräulein Lina to get some dried peas from the kitchen. Then he put a couple of them into the balloon and blew it up.

"Have you got some string?" "Yes, here is a ribbon which was wrapped around my parcel." "That'll do."

When the balloon was tied up, and Onkel Werner shook it, it rattled. "Who is that rattle for?" I wanted to know.

"Come, let's go into the servery." We all followed Onkel Werner and Opa, somehow mystified. In the servery, there was a special settee, which Dinkie, Oma's black angora tomcat, had adopted as his own. Onkel Werner made straight for the settee and stroked the cat.

"Ah, a Christmas present for Dinkie," I shouted. Opa chuckled: "Yes, Dinkie should also have a christmas present. Werner, why don't you tie it to his beautiful long tail."

That was quickly done. I thought, how pretty the black cat looked with the red balloon, but no sooner had I thought that, Dinkie took off. He went berserk, up the long curtain, across to the other window curtain, down again, across the table, over chairs, like a whirl wind. At every leap the peas in the balloon rattled and frightened Dinkie even more. We all shrieked with laughter. In the general merriment, we had not heard Oma entering the room. In utter disgust she could only exclaim: "That poor animal!"

Oma was such a gentle person. I have never seen her getting angry, even then, though we knew that she was not amused!

Christmas was the only time when we could stay up as long as we liked, but when Onkel Werner, Tante Margaret, Horst and Bernd had left, our parents went home, and so did we. By then it wasn't even midnight yet.

Christmas day was spent playing mainly with our threshing machine. The belt fitted over the driving wheel of the steam engine and the main wheel of the thresher. I had to twiddle the steam engine wheel, and this turned many wheels inside the thresher. It was great fun, and we played

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