Det var en kold vinteraften i København, sneen dalede stille ned udenfor, og indenfor i den lille stue duftede det af gran og nylavet risalamande.

It was a cold winter evening in København.

Astrid, den ældste i flokken, havde anstrengt sig for at skabe den perfekte jul med alle de traditioner, hun elskede.

The snow was gently falling outside, and inside the small living room, it smelled of pine and freshly made risalamande.

Men julepynten og den hyggelige atmosfære kunne ikke skjule spændingen mellem hendes brødre, Jens og Mikkel.

Astrid, the oldest of the group, had made an effort to create the perfect Christmas with all the traditions she loved.

Jens, den mellemste, sad i sofaen med en kop gløgg, mens han fnyste ad en kommentar Mikkel lige havde kastet.

But the Christmas decorations and cozy atmosphere couldn't hide the tension between her brothers, Jens and Mikkel.

Mikkel, den yngste, følte sig ofte overset og tog enhver mulighed for at provokere Jens.

Jens, the middle one, was sitting on the sofa with a cup of gløgg, while he scoffed at a comment Mikkel had just made.

Denne jul skulle være anderledes, tænkte Astrid.

Mikkel, the youngest, often felt overlooked and seized every chance to provoke Jens.

Hun ønskede forsoning og sammenhold mere end noget andet.

This Christmas would be different, Astrid thought.

"Kom, vi skal pynte træet," sagde Astrid opmuntrende og gav hver af dem en kasse julekugler.

She wanted reconciliation and togetherness more than anything.

Men i stedet for at samarbejde, endte Jens og Mikkel i en ophedet diskussion om, hvilken kugle skulle hænge hvor.

"Come, let's decorate the tree," said Astrid encouragingly, handing each of them a box of Christmas ornaments.

Astrid sukkede og så ud ad vinduet på snefnuggene, der stille lagde sig som en rolig dyne over byen.

But instead of cooperating, Jens and Mikkel ended up in a heated argument over which ornament should hang where.

Da de endelig satte sig til bords til julemiddagen, mærkede Astrid, at noget måtte gøres.

Astrid sighed and looked out the window at the snowflakes gently settling like a calm blanket over the city.

"Lad os tale om det," sagde hun roligt og kiggede skiftevis på sine to brødre.

When they finally sat down for Christmas dinner, Astrid felt that something had to be done.

"Hvad er det egentlig, der foregår mellem jer?

"Let's talk about it," she said calmly, looking back and forth between her two brothers.

"Jens trak på skuldrene, mens Mikkel stirrede ned i sin tallerken.

"What's really going on between you?"

"Det er bare.

Jens shrugged while Mikkel stared down at his plate.

," begyndte Jens, "han lytter aldrig til mig.

"It's just...," began Jens, "he never listens to me."

" Mikkel så op.

Mikkel looked up.

"Det er fordi, jeg føler, du aldrig respekterer mig.

"That's because I feel like you never respect me."

"Emnerne strømmede ud.

The topics poured out.

Gamle uoverensstemmelser og misforståelser kom på bordet, mens de andre familiemedlemmer stille lyttede.

Old disagreements and misunderstandings came to the table while the other family members quietly listened.

Ordene fløj gennem luften, men midt i det hele var det Astrid, der tog modet til sig.

Words flew through the air, but in the midst of it all, it was Astrid who mustered the courage.

"Hør her," sagde hun med blid overbevisning.

"Listen," she said with gentle conviction.

"Ingen af os er perfekte.

"None of us are perfect.

Men vi er en familie.

But we are a family.

Det er jul, og det er tid til at tilgive.

It’s Christmas, and it’s time to forgive."

"Der blev stille rundt om bordet.

Silence fell around the table.

Udenfor hylede vinden, men indenfor blev der varmt fra hjertenes forsoning.

Outside, the wind howled, but inside it grew warm from the reconciliation of their hearts.

Jens tog en dyb indånding, "Jeg beklager, Mikkel," sagde han.

Jens took a deep breath, "I'm sorry, Mikkel," he said.

"Jeg burde have lyttet.

"I should have listened."

" Mikkel nikkede, "Og jeg burde have talt om det i stedet for at hidse mig op.

Mikkel nodded, "And I should have talked about it instead of getting upset."

"Da de senere satte sig i sofaen med pebernødder og julekalender i fjernsynet, følte Astrid en ny ro.

Later, when they sat on the sofa with pebernødder and the Christmas calendar on the TV, Astrid felt a new peace.

Det var måske ikke den perfekte jul, hun havde håbet på, men det var deres jul.

It might not have been the perfect Christmas she had hoped for, but it was their Christmas.

Familien kom tættere sammen denne aften i København, og Astrid lærte, at kærlighed ikke kræver perfektion, men forståelse.

The family grew closer together that evening in København, and Astrid learned that love doesn't require perfection, but understanding.