Outside the flakes are quietly falling, Christmas trees and Advent lights are glittering everywhere. Inside it smells of cinnamon stars and speculoos. The stade, or this year rather bland time due to the pandemic, has long since begun, it’s not far until Christmas. Less than two more weeks – then finally the presents will be given. It is to be feared that this year it will be “beautiful” in an ironic sense for the second time in a row. Because of the still precarious Corona situation, Christmas has to take place again in a slimmed-down form, in the worst case with a mask on your face and a meter stick in your hand to maintain safety distances, which probably nobody wanted to imagine a year ago. But Sars-CoV-2 simply knows no mercy, as the pandemic has taught us for almost two years.
Corona does what it wants – regardless of whether we are jubilating or sitting in the corner depressed because Christmas markets and Christmas parties had to be canceled. It could be beneficial that, at least musically, almost everything stays the same, even if, from an aerosol-technical point of view, it is not advisable to sing together under the decorated fir tree in the living room. “O you happy” or “Softly the snow trickles” can be easily heard from the can and softly hummed along. Another famous Christmas carol could take on a new meaning in times like these: “You little children are coming”.
In the original text by the Catholic pastor Christoph Schmid from the 18th century, the children should make their way to the crib in Bethlehem’s stable to see what “Heavenly Father makes us happy” on this holy night. In view of the fact that five to twelve-year-olds will also receive their injections against the corona virus in the three vaccination centers in the district of Munich from next week, the rhymes are easy to reinterpret. The current message is: Your little children come and please in large numbers to accelerate the massive stuttering vaccination turbo after too few adults turn their heads on and fulfill their solidarity obligation to vaccinate.
Apparently the youngest have to judge it again. As is so often the case, one would like to say when looking back. At the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, children and young people had to sit at home for months because daycare centers and schools were closed to protect the elderly. Last Christmas, the visits from grandma and grandpa fell flat because the incidences went through the roof for the conditions at the time and there was still no vaccine. Now, a year later, since everyone for whom there is no medical indication against it could already have been immunized, but have not, another silent night threatens. And so the question arises out loud: Where is it actually, the solidarity with the Corona generation?