NewsA Nikolaus helper becomes sentimental

A Nikolaus helper becomes sentimental

Nikolaus in a police check, Knecht Ruprecht in free fall and 40 children who were not at all happy about corrected exercise books as a Santa Claus present.

That represents only a small part of the memories that the author has of the time from 1975 to 1979, when he was forced to move as a servant Ruprecht with Nikolaus alias his own father in the Swabian homeland from old people’s homes to kindergartens and orphanages – before, on and after December 6th. Because the tour schedule of the visits mentioned in the house “apparition tour” was closely timed.

With his white hair and his deep voice, the headmaster was forcibly nominated by the parish council as Nikolaus – whereby the poor selection criteria consisted only of the requirement that the priestly robe and miter had to fit him, reading and writing was an advantage. And ignorance of letters was certainly not uncommon in the village.

At 1.90 in height and backed by parental authority, the son gave himself up to fate, had his self-made sack suit and made his cutting weapon out of willow branches.

More than four appearances in the evening were not possible, because there was homemade schnapps everywhere as a thank you. A refusal would have been insulting, so the performances became, say, more casual as the time went on.

One evening the duo got into a police check after 11 p.m., on December 6th. The bishop’s staff protruded from the rear Benz window, the supposedly holy man at the wheel sat slightly crooked because the miter was too high – and Ruprecht with the shaggy beard. And six bottles of plum schnapps in the back seat. The officers hardly dared to ask the “holy man” for his driver’s license, who was already puffing the second cigarette through his beard to test his breath. It turned out well, not because of the chocolate they gave away, but because one of the two policemen was a former student. In the future there was a car service within the family.

In a retirement home, Ruprecht set off a fire alarm because he killed the fire alarm by wildly waving his rod. A year later, while visiting kindergarten, he stumbled over the gift bag – and tore it down one floor with him. The family dependency was generally disadvantageous for Ruprecht – his protests that there was no written evidence that Ruprecht had to be the Sherpa of Nicholas died away.

In contrast, the holy man managed to place his “golden book” with the good and bad deeds in a church on the altar in such a way that it caught fire. The passage from the Bible with the burning bush had probably mutated into a book. But it was performances that stuck in the memory.

Elderly people who only lived in the past and pressed the hands of visitors for a long time, had tears in their eyes when they said goodbye. Children who listened to their deeds devoutly and often with small tears, secretly slipped a note from parents or daycare managers to Santa Claus in advance. And who, sitting on their laps, beamed happily and wanted to outdo each other when singing. Who hid behind their mother, trembling, when Nikolaus brought Ruprecht into play. Whose rod was never used, but still aroused mixed feelings even among “unbelievers”.

But there were also the parents who wanted to use St. Nicholas as an educational aid and noted on the note: “Have to muck out the stable more often.” Or “It’s too young for a friend.” bad deeds of parents. Which, days later, entailed visits to the “school teacher”, because the scolded man did not want Nicholas to forbid him from visiting taverns.

The most difficult thing every year was the appearance in the Nikolaus-owned village school, where he was very familiar to children. But after the roles were changed in a year and the teacher came through the door during the Nikolaus visit, he ended all discussion – Ruprecht allegedly had a stomachache. From the many sweets. The fact that the teacher improvised and used the chance to give a corrected dictation back to the children – by the way: there were eight classes in a room arranged according to tables – didn’t make things any easier for the Santa Claus double, he had to find words of caution. With your own school performance – something like throwing stones in a glass house.

In all these many years, one appearance was never forgotten. Just before the corresponding performance day, a young couple had received approval to adopt a four-year-old and, after consultation with the home management and the duo, used his performance – Nikolaus gave the child a new home that evening, so to speak. The child’s eyes and the parents’ laughter are seared into the mind.

It was all over 40 years ago. When children were happy about a piece of chocolate or a little book. Waiting for the performance with a mixture of tension and respect – only to excitedly explain to their “school teacher” the next day in the classroom that Santa Claus was in the house.

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