December 23rd — Lille julaften — began with the sound of snow shovels and the smell of Christmas baking drifting through every house in town. The schools had closed for the holidays, but The December Project hadn’t ended. On the family fridge, Emma’s note still hung: “Mission #23 – Share the joy close to home.”
While her parents prepared dinner, Emma packed small paper bags filled with gingerbread cookies she and her brother had baked the day before. “We’ll take a few to the neighbors,” her mother said. “The ones who might not have family visiting.” So they bundled up, cheeks red from the cold, and went door to door.
At Mrs. Holte’s house, the elderly woman opened the door with a delighted gasp. “You two again!” she laughed. “You’ve kept me company all month.” Emma handed her a cookie bag and a card that said “God jul – you’re not forgotten.” The old woman’s eyes glistened, and for a moment, the whole house seemed to glow.
Across town, Jonas and his dad delivered a loaf of homemade bread to the couple next door. Ida left a candle and a note in the mailbox of a widower who lived alone. No one made a big deal out of it — they just gave quietly, naturally, the way Christmas giving should be.
That night, as lights twinkled from every window, the warmth of those small visits lingered in every home. Not one family talked about what they’d received — only about how good it had felt to give.