Snøfnuggene dalte stille ned utenfor Lars' vindu.

The snowflakes drifted quietly outside Lars' window.

Han satt i stua, pakket inn i et varmt pledd.

He sat in the living room, wrapped in a warm blanket.

Rundt ham kastet julelysene et mykt skjær i rommet.

Around him, the Christmas lights cast a soft glow in the room.

Det var desember i Tromsø, og selv om vinteren var kald, var stua fylt med en koselig varme.

It was December in Tromsø, and although the winter was cold, the living room was filled with a cozy warmth.

Lars hadde nylig gjennomgått en liten operasjon.

Lars had recently undergone a minor surgery.

Nå var han hjemme for å bli frisk.

Now he was home to recover.

Tromsø var hvitt og stille.

Tromsø was white and silent.

Men i tankene hans krysset han kloden til Sydney, hvor Kari bodde.

But in his thoughts, he crossed the globe to Sydney, where Kari lived.

Han savnet henne.

He missed her.

Avstanden mellom dem føltes enorm, særlig nå i juletiden.

The distance between them felt enormous, especially now during the Christmas season.

Eirik, Lars' beste venn, kom innom nesten daglig.

Eirik, Lars' best friend, stopped by almost daily.

"Hei, Lars," ropte han og børstet snøen av jakken.

"Hey, Lars," he called, brushing the snow off his jacket.

De satte seg ned med en kopp gløgg ved bordet.

They sat down with a cup of mulled wine at the table.

"Hvordan har du det?

"How are you doing?"

" spurte Eirik.

asked Eirik.

"Jeg savner Kari," svarte Lars.

"I miss Kari," replied Lars.

"Julen føles annerledes uten henne.

"Christmas feels different without her."

"Eirik nikket forståelsesfullt.

Eirik nodded understandingly.

"Har du tenkt på hvordan dere kan feire jul sammen, selv om dere er så langt borte?

"Have you thought about how you can celebrate Christmas together, even though you are so far apart?"

"Lars hadde tenkt mye på dette.

Lars had thought a lot about this.

Han ønsket å gjøre noe spesielt for Kari.

He wanted to do something special for Kari.

Plutselig hadde han en idé.

Suddenly he had an idea.

Han delte planen med Eirik.

He shared the plan with Eirik.

"Kan du hjelpe meg med noe?

"Can you help me with something?"

" spurte Lars.

asked Lars.

Noen dager senere, mens snøen fortsatt dalte der ute, gjorde de leiligheten klar.

A few days later, while the snow was still falling outside, they prepared the apartment.

De pyntet med flere lys og hengte opp Kristtorn.

They decorated with more lights and hung up holly.

Alt var perfekt for en magisk videokveld.

Everything was perfect for a magical video evening.

Eirik stilte laptopen opp slik at Kari også kunne se nordlyset gjennom det store vinduet.

Eirik set up the laptop so that Kari could also see the northern lights through the large window.

Den kvelden, under et teppe av grønne og lilla lys på himmelen, tok Lars opp videosamtalen.

That evening, under a blanket of green and purple lights in the sky, Lars started the video call.

Kari dukket opp på skjermen, smilende og nysgjerrig.

Kari appeared on the screen, smiling and curious.

"Hei, Lars!

"Hi, Lars!

Så fint å se deg," sa hun.

So nice to see you," she said.

"Lars, lysene er fantastiske," ropte Kari, med øyne som lyste av glede.

"Lars, the lights are amazing," shouted Kari, her eyes shining with joy.

"Dette har vi alltid drømt om!

"This is what we've always dreamed of!"

"De snakket lenge om fremtiden, drømmene og planene sine.

They talked for a long time about the future, their dreams, and their plans.

Lars følte at avstanden mellom dem svant hen, i det minste for en stund.

Lars felt that the distance between them diminished, at least for a while.

Han skjønte at kjærlighet ikke kjente grenser.

He realized that love knew no boundaries.

Små handlinger kunne bringe stor glede.

Small actions could bring great joy.

Da samtalen tok slutt, ble Lars sittende foran dataskjermen, fylt med en herlig ro.

When the conversation ended, Lars remained seated in front of the computer screen, filled with a wonderful calm.

Han savnet Kari, men han visste at de ville klare seg.

He missed Kari, but he knew they would make it work.

Han kikket opp mot nordlyset igjen og tenkte på fremtiden, full av optimisme.

He looked up at the northern lights again and thought about the future, full of optimism.