When Vanka was younger, before his mother died and he became an apprentice to a shoemaker, he would go into the forest with his grandfather to cut down a Christmas tree for the family his grandfather served. Vanka remembers it as a "merry time" when they would laugh a great deal together. Grandfather would smoke a pipe and survey the trees, and rabbits would "fly" over the snow, with the grandpa shouting after them playfully. Vanka imagines that, now, his grandfather is smiling still and "joking with the servants" at the house, laughing his merry laugh and "pinching" the young ladies who serve the family. He seems to be flirting with them! He offers the women a pinch of snuff from his snuff box, and they invariably sneeze. This delights him "indescribably," and he has another "merry chuckle" as a result. Grandfather would even offer the dogs a pinch of snuff, watching the one dog sneeze and grow offended. The other would simply wag his tail. It seems, then, that the grandfather is a gentle soul who likes to laugh and makes the best and the most out of his daily life, even if it is hard at times. He is sociable and easygoing, and with his good attitude and love of merriment, he creates an atmosphere of fun and laughter. This, compared to Vanka's life with the awful shoemaker, seems all the more warm and desirable to the poor child.