Still Fascinating

Image: Claudia Braun 01/2026

Here is today’s random question…

What’s a childhood movie or series that you still enjoy watching today?

When I was a kid, each year after Christmas there was a TV mini series for kids. One of them was called “Timm Thaler”. The story is about a boy, maybe 10 years old, who sells his laughter to baron Lefuet [anagram for the German word Teufel, which means devil] in exchange for winning every bet. The baron // devil is a ruthless, wealthy business man, who is unable to laugh. Buying Timm’s laughter, he seeks to appear more engaging to business partners. The series tells Timm’s story of getting his laughter back. Timm Thaler was broadcast for the first time on December 25th 1979, and I turned 7 years old a few days later. Not only back then was I fascinated with the baron // devil and accompanying music, each time he appeared. To this present day, and being in my early 50’s, it still gives me the chills when I hear the music or see a picture of the actor portraying the baron. Below, I’m sharing a video with a few impressions from this children’s series and the baron’s song, called “Aravanadi” by Christian Bruhn…

“Aravanadi – Der Baron” by Christian Bruhn | Source: YouTube


A-Z Challenge: Operetta

Just a few months ago, my mom started treating us both to evenings in the theater. Most often we enjoy an operetta, because traditional ballet [my favorite] is mainly on schedule around Christmas. Until recently, I had completely forgotten, that those evenings at the theater used to be a part of my life fairly regularly, and how much I actually missed them. During my 20 years in America I stopped going, because I could not find anyone to join me…..

“Do I look like your granny to you?”
“Operetta, are you bonkers?”
“Oh hell no, that’s for old people!”

“That awful music is an offense to my ears!”

Responses like these prevented me from asking. And going by myself wasn’t an all too appealing option, honestly. Thanks to my mom I have a theater companion again. Hopefully we will enjoy quite a few more evenings with lovely performances, no matter if operetta or ballet. 🎻🩰