Christmas joy

Fully packed LH makes half-orphans smile

Stelzer could not carry the five large parcels for the children alone. It was a happy surprise for the family.(Bild: Markus Wenzel)

Thomas Stelzer visits a bereaved family in Mühlviertel and brings them Christmas presents. The 37-year-old widow and her five children had lost their husband and father in an accident this year. The siblings were 

It is a sad Christmas this year for Tanja (37) from Mühlviertel and her five children - the first Christmas without their father Josef, who died in a tragic traffic accident in the spring. 

The Governor of Upper Austria, Thomas Stelzer, pays a visit to the bereaved family at the home of their grandparents Ulrike and Franz and - to the great delight of the children Sara (11), Jannik (9), Fynn (6), Liya (3) and Jona (1) - does not come empty-handed.

The governor sits down at the table with the bereaved family(Bild: Markus Wenzel)

Five packs "found"
"I found five packages in the car, they won't be for you, will they?" he asks the group. The children beam. "I think I'll pick one myself, or should I give you all of them?" Stelzer adds with a wink. But the five outvote him with a unanimous "yes".

Little Jonah (1) with the big parcels(Bild: Markus Wenzel)

One-year-old Jona is blissfully happy and immediately starts tearing at the wrapping paper with excitement, while the Governor sits down at the table with his older siblings and tastes the cookies that have been prepared.

Sara (11) sets up the utensils for her horse Barbie(Bild: Markus Wenzel)

He wants to know what Sara's favorite subject at school is. "English," says the eleven-year-old. "Really?" Stelzer replies with a laugh.

Mom Tanja (37) and grandparents Ulrike and Franz also received gifts.(Bild: Markus Wenzel)

At the fire department
Nine-year-old Jannik tells us that he attends soccer and judo training and, like his sister Sara, is also active in the fire department. And Liya shows the Governor her ear jewelry. The hole for it had only been pierced the day before. "Did it hurt?" asks Stelzer sympathetically. "No," she assures him.

Lyia (3) has Stelzer explain the pink bus to her(Bild: Markus Wenzel)

And then it's finally time to open the presents. The provincial governor helps out with a pair of scissors when things go wrong. Fynn unearths a truck, Liya a pink bus, Sara a riding stable Barbie, Jannik an excavator and little Jonah a train that plays music.

Nine-year-old Jannik with the digger(Bild: Markus Wenzel)

Everyone is happy, even forgetting their pain for a moment. "I'm happy for them," says Stelzer. Then Jona falls asleep exhausted next to him.

Dear readers! Dear readers!

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