A short story that's set at Christmas, but is about much more than that.

Historically, the book is interesting, because as a Christmas market enjoyer, it's fun to see how many of the traditions remain.

However most of the book deals with generational trauma, class/poverty, faith, and many other topics. While it doesn't go into depth of a lot of the issues due to the structure of the story, the author still makes many observations and apt remarks, that are sadly proven as quite timeless even today.

Many quotes stood out to me and if I were someone who could highlight while reading without it disrupting my flow I would've certainly done that a lot in this book. Maybe upon a reread.

It did get quite didactic and became more unrealistic towards the end which is why I only gave it 3 stars, but it is a short book, so if you can read German and are looking for an accessible classic to read (especially during Christmas) I would still recommend it.

P. S.: The Insel-Bücherei version (which is probably the most widely available version of the book currently) os accompanied by some lovely illustrations, which really elevate the story and make the book into a cute gift idea as well.