Poinsettia: Since her mother became a widow, Christmas Eve's dinner is celebrated at home. The three daughters, the husband of the two (the third has just separated) and five sons. They're all around the big table, kids are strategically placed. The issues to be dealt with, despite the impression that they come out naturally, have been strategically chosen so that nobody gets hurt, so that there is no obvious silence, so that there is no show of the long-standing unemployment of one of the sister-in-law or the concern about the amount of unknown money that the mother spends in the casino, so as not to spoil today’s special day.

Everyone eats and speaks, accompanied by the cries of the children, with a compact agility that coincides with the decoration of the table. Among her daughters, a teacher who is at a ikastola told them what happened to a student. They've been preparing the class's Olentzero all month long. It is admirable the seriousness with which children take everything that has to do with Christmas. They're very motivated. In the end, however, he felt a little guilty. The day before the holiday, the mother of one of the students has come to chat with him. His son has written the letter to the Olentzero in Basque and his parents cannot guess what he wants to give away. You have asked, but that does not mean anything. That he wrote in the letter to Olentzero and that he will understand him. The mother believes she wants to punish her children for not knowing Basque. As much as you try with a dictionary, you haven't come up with anything clear about what you've written. Without a precise brand of toys, I needed a description. Finally, after eleven briefings to your son, they have decided to go to the flag of the ikastola (they do not have an excessively Basque environment and, moreover, not everyone understands the writing of children). The mother counted it with shame, as if she were really making the supposed punishment of her son effective, and with her head she pulled down the square sheet of a notebook, drawn with the letter that he knows well, to tell her what he means in Spanish. After reading quickly what he has written, he does not dare to return anything to his mother. He went back and told the Magi to write to him.

New Year’s Eve: After taking Unai to the San Silvestre Race in the urban area, the father has gone to his mother and the three have gone by car to his grandparents' house. Go up, with the promise to be a little higher. Amatxi insists that why they don’t have to stay for dinner, that there is room and to eat two more. Both of them explained to him that they decided this a long time ago and that this was communicated to him a long time ago. Without Unai, they wanted to get together with the usual friends and have some fun. Dad is already playing with Unai, asking him what Father Noel has brought him. Usually, then comes the daughter’s amendment (“Aita, Aita Noel does not come to us, but Olentzero, yes, Unai?”), but this time the daughter has said nothing. Caught in a sudden haste, she gives her mother two kisses and says goodbye to her father from the door. Her husband is already in front of the elevator.

Unai explains to him that this year Olentzero has not gone through his house, he does not know why, and that his mother has told the Magi to write. Dad has released an almost imperceptible sigh that would have been a triumph at some time. After asking him what he asked, his grandfather swallowed his saliva and explained to Unai that the Magi also know, and very well, in Basque. He came up with a sheet and a pencil.