Das Weihnachtsekel (2006)

Every year, Munich television host Robert Lahnstein flees Christmas. This year, too, he sets off to spend Christmas alone in a small cabin in Tyrol. At the same time, heavily pregnant Simone Jakob leaves her married boyfriend, the father of her child, and takes a taxi to the hospital. Retiree Rita Waltleitner also discovers that life still has a lot in store for her and leaves the retirement home. Another main character is Thomas Sattler, a single father who works as a cash courier and has a young son, Moritz. On his last route before Christmas, in Innsbruck, Thomas has embezzled a cash box. Also joining the story is Felicitas Fermandez, a dancer from Mexico dressed as a female Santa Claus. On a country road, Simone and the taxi driver are stopped by a fallen tree, and the young woman continues on alone, making her way through the deep snow. She encounters Rita, and the two seek shelter in a small barn, where the homeless Konrad Neuberger has already taken refuge. A little later, Thomas and his son arrive at the barn seeking shelter after their car breaks down. To everyone’s dismay, Robert eventually arrives at the barn too, having driven off the road, and his brusque remarks immediately make an enemy of everyone there. Felicitas is the last to join the group and is very shocked to see Robert again: she had met him earlier at a gas station, where he had insulted her badly. As time passes, everyone realizes they are in a perilous situation. Robert’s tactless remarks get on everyone’s nerves in particular. Thomas keeps very much to himself throughout and hides the cash box, containing more than 200,000 euros, in the firewood pile. After Robert has found fault with everyone and even insulted the peaceful Konrad, Robert decides to leave the barn on his own. No one stops him, and everyone hopes that his absence will restore harmony. But before long, Konrad grows worried and goes looking for Robert, eventually finding him fallen through the ice. He rescues him, exerting all his strength, and the two return to the barn. There, Robert learns that Konrad used to be a writer, but lost all his bearings after his son died. It soon becomes clear that Konrad has pneumonia, and Simone begins going into labor. With Robert and Rita’s active help, she gives birth to her baby. It is a girl. Meanwhile, Thomas and his son go to the police for help, even though he had just discovered that someone had found the money he embezzled. The next morning, a mountain-rescue ambulance arrives and takes Simone and her newborn, as well as Konrad, to the hospital. Thomas and Moritz go with them. Rita and Robert also leave the barn. During a walk, Rita advises Robert to finally learn to like himself and to stop treating other people the way he does. To everyone’s surprise, Robert takes her words very much to heart. Rita returns to the retirement home to collect her things and receives an anonymous letter from Robert. Robert gives Konrad a typewriter, and after a long time Konrad writes another novel. Felicitas and Thomas also grow closer and kiss at the Innsbruck Christmas market. Felicitas had found the money and returned it. Later, Rita gathers everyone together, and they celebrate a lovely, harmonious Christmas with Robert, for whom Christmas has now become important after all. Robert’s son, pianist Martin Lahnstein, with whom he had previously been at odds, also comes to the cabin and sees how happy his father is celebrating Christmas with all these people he has never met before.