Kontorets lys glitret som stjerner i det dunkle vintermørket.

The office lights glittered like stars in the dim winter darkness.

Det var desember, og overalt hang det julestjerner og glinsende girlandere.

It was December, and everywhere there were Christmas stars and shiny garlands hanging.

En stor juletre stod i hjørnet, pyntet med røde kuler og små lys som blinket.

A large Christmas tree stood in the corner, decorated with red baubles and small blinking lights.

Hele kontoret var fylt med en festlig stemning, og folk snakket ivrig om den kommende julesammenkomsten.

The whole office was filled with a festive atmosphere, and people were eagerly talking about the upcoming Christmas gathering.

I kontoret satt Lars ved pulten og kikket på den lille notatet han hadde.

In the office, Lars sat at his desk, looking at the little note he had.

"Secret Santa" stod det.

"Secret Santa" it read.

Han hadde fått navnet til en kollega han beundret, men knapt snakket med.

He had drawn the name of a colleague he admired but barely spoke to.

Lars kjente hjertet slå litt raskere.

Lars felt his heart beat a little faster.

Han ville gjerne velge den perfekte gaven, men han visste ikke hva kollegaen likte.

He wanted to choose the perfect gift but didn’t know what his colleague liked.

Han fryktet å gi noe kjedelig eller uegnet.

He feared giving something boring or unsuitable.

Rett ved siden av stod Ivar.

Right next to him stood Ivar.

Han var den slagferdige kollega som ofte gledet seg over å spre godt humør.

He was the witty colleague who often enjoyed spreading good humor.

"Hei, Lars," sa Ivar med et smil.

"Hey, Lars," said Ivar with a smile.

"Du ser tankefull ut. Kan jeg hjelpe?"

"You look thoughtful. Can I help?"

Lars så opp fra pulten.

Lars looked up from his desk.

Han nølte et øyeblikk, men så tenkte han at Ivar kunne være akkurat den han trengte.

He hesitated for a moment but then thought that Ivar could be just what he needed.

"Ivar, jeg har fått en kollega til Secret Santa.

"Ivar, I have a colleague for Secret Santa.

Jeg vil gi noe riktig fint, men jeg er usikker på hva han liker."

I want to give something really nice, but I'm not sure what he likes."

Ivar nikket forståelsesfullt.

Ivar nodded understandingly.

"Det er alltid litt tricky med Secret Santa.

"It's always a bit tricky with Secret Santa.

Men hva med litt detektivarbeid?"

But how about a little detective work?"

Lars smilte litt forsiktig.

Lars smiled a bit cautiously.

"Hvordan da?"

"How so?"

Ivar lente seg tilbake i stolen.

Ivar leaned back in his chair.

"Vel, du kan følge ham litt diskret i kantinen, høre hva han snakker om eller se hva han drikker.

"Well, you can follow him a bit discreetly in the canteen, listen to what he talks about, or see what he drinks.

Er det noe spesielt han nevner ofte?"

Is there something special he often mentions?"

Lars likte forslaget.

Lars liked the suggestion.

Sammen la de en plan.

Together they made a plan.

De ville observere kollegaen nøye de neste dagene og finne de gode hintene.

They would observe the colleague carefully over the next few days and find the good hints.

Dagene passerte, og Lars begynte å merke små detaljer.

Days passed, and Lars began to notice small details.

Kollegaen hans snakket ofte om den lokale kaffebaren, om italienske bøker han leste, og hvor mye han likte å gå på ski.

His colleague often talked about the local coffee shop, about Italian books he was reading, and how much he enjoyed skiing.

Med denne nye informasjonen, hadde Lars en idé.

With this new information, Lars had an idea.

Da kontorets julefest kom, hadde Lars pakket inn en lekker bok om italiensk kultur sammen med et gavekort til kaffebaren.

When the office Christmas party came, Lars had wrapped a beautiful book about Italian culture along with a gift card to the coffee shop.

Han håpet at dette ville være rett.

He hoped this would be right.

På festen var stemningen på topp.

At the party, the atmosphere was at its peak.

Alle utvekslet gaver, og samtalene flommet rundt i lokalet.

Everyone exchanged gifts, and conversations flowed around the room.

Lars kjente hjertet banke hardt idet han nærmet seg kollegaen med sin gave.

Lars felt his heart pounding hard as he approached his colleague with his gift.

"God jul," sa Lars med et forsiktig smil, og rakte pakken fram.

"Merry Christmas," said Lars with a cautious smile and handed over the package.

Kollegaen smilte bredt da han åpnet gaven.

His colleague beamed as he opened the gift.

"Dette er perfekt!

"This is perfect!

Jeg har alltid hatt lyst på akkurat denne boken.

I've always wanted exactly this book.

Og en kopp fra favorittkaféen vil være flott etter en skitur.

And a cup from my favorite café will be great after a ski trip.

Tusen takk, Lars."

Thank you so much, Lars."

En varm følelse spredte seg i Lars.

A warm feeling spread through Lars.

De begynte å snakke om boken, og samtalen fløt lett.

They started talking about the book, and the conversation flowed easily.

For første gang følte Lars at han virkelig knyttet bånd med noen på kontoret.

For the first time, Lars felt he was truly connecting with someone at the office.

Fra den dagen av innså Lars hvor viktig det var å tørre å ta sjanser.

From that day on, Lars realized how important it was to dare to take chances.

Han følte seg mer selvsikker, og julefesten var bare starten på flere gode samtaler og vennskap.

He felt more confident, and the Christmas party was just the beginning of many good conversations and friendships.

Den kalde vintervinden suste forbi utenfor, men innendørs varmet de nyvunne vennskapene hjertene.

The cold winter wind howled outside, but indoors the newly formed friendships warmed the hearts.

Julen på kontoret hadde vært mer enn en fest; det hadde vært en mulighet for Lars å vokse, og det var den beste gaven av alle.

Christmas at the office had been more than a party; it had been an opportunity for Lars to grow, and that was the best gift of all.