’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the houseNot a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;The stockings were hung by the chimney with careIn hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;The children were nestled all snug in their beds,While visions of sugarplums danced through their heads;And mamma in her kerchief, and I in my cap,Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap,When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.Away to the window I flew like a flash,Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snowGave a luster of midday to objects below,When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,With a little old driver, so lively and quick,I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:“Now,Dasher! now,Dancer! now,PrancerandVixen!On,Comet! on,Cupid! on,DonderandBlitzen!To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!Now, dash away! dash away! dash away all!”As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly.When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;So up to the housetop the coursers they flew,With a sleigh full of Toys, and St. Nicholas too.And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roofThe prancing and pawing of each little hoof,As I drew in my head, and was turning around,Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot,And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow;The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;He had a broad face and a little round belly,That shook, when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,And laying his finger aside of his nose,And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”
’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the houseNot a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;The stockings were hung by the chimney with careIn hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;The children were nestled all snug in their beds,While visions of sugarplums danced through their heads;And mamma in her kerchief, and I in my cap,Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap,When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.Away to the window I flew like a flash,Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snowGave a luster of midday to objects below,When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,With a little old driver, so lively and quick,I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:“Now,Dasher! now,Dancer! now,PrancerandVixen!On,Comet! on,Cupid! on,DonderandBlitzen!To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!Now, dash away! dash away! dash away all!”As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly.When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;So up to the housetop the coursers they flew,With a sleigh full of Toys, and St. Nicholas too.And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roofThe prancing and pawing of each little hoof,As I drew in my head, and was turning around,Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot,And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow;The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;He had a broad face and a little round belly,That shook, when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,And laying his finger aside of his nose,And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”
’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the houseNot a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;The stockings were hung by the chimney with careIn hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;The children were nestled all snug in their beds,While visions of sugarplums danced through their heads;And mamma in her kerchief, and I in my cap,Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap,When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snowGave a luster of midday to objects below,When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,With a little old driver, so lively and quick,I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:“Now,Dasher! now,Dancer! now,PrancerandVixen!On,Comet! on,Cupid! on,DonderandBlitzen!To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!Now, dash away! dash away! dash away all!”As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly.When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;So up to the housetop the coursers they flew,With a sleigh full of Toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roofThe prancing and pawing of each little hoof,As I drew in my head, and was turning around,Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot,And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow;The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;He had a broad face and a little round belly,That shook, when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,And laying his finger aside of his nose,And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”
Time: Christmas EvePlace: A living room in a German cottage. A Christmas tree stands at one side. As the curtain rises, a small boy and girl in German costume are trimming the tree and singing.
Time: Christmas Eve
Place: A living room in a German cottage. A Christmas tree stands at one side. As the curtain rises, a small boy and girl in German costume are trimming the tree and singing.
HansandGretchensing:
Santa Claus to-morrow comes,Bringing gifts in plenty;Drums and trumpets, guns—a score,Flags and sabers and still more,Yes, a whole great army corps—Would it might be plenty!Bring us, dear old Santa Claus—Do not pass us blindly—Musketeer and grenadier,Grizzly bear with panther near,Horse and donkey, sheep and steer—Bring us all these kindly.
Santa Claus to-morrow comes,Bringing gifts in plenty;Drums and trumpets, guns—a score,Flags and sabers and still more,Yes, a whole great army corps—Would it might be plenty!Bring us, dear old Santa Claus—Do not pass us blindly—Musketeer and grenadier,Grizzly bear with panther near,Horse and donkey, sheep and steer—Bring us all these kindly.
Santa Claus to-morrow comes,Bringing gifts in plenty;Drums and trumpets, guns—a score,Flags and sabers and still more,Yes, a whole great army corps—Would it might be plenty!
Bring us, dear old Santa Claus—Do not pass us blindly—Musketeer and grenadier,Grizzly bear with panther near,Horse and donkey, sheep and steer—Bring us all these kindly.
Hans: I wish St. Nicholas would hurry up and come! I think he is dreadfully slow.
Gretchen: He won’t come while we’re here, I’m afraid. Besides, he has so far to travel! Only think how many places he has to go!
Hans: Does he visit all the little children all over the world?
Gretchen: Why, of course! (Slowly.) At least, I suppose so.
Hans: Do all the children have Christmas trees?
Gretchen: Oh! I hope so. Wouldn’t it be too bad not to have a tree on Christmas?
Hans:Ithink it would be fun to have an airship and go about the world to-night and see what all the little children are doing.
Gretchen: Where would you like to go?
Hans: I’d like to fly over the sea and visit Cousin Heinrich in America.
Gretchen: I’d be afraid to fly so far. I’d go to Holland; it’s such a little way.
Hans: Oh! I’d fly up in the mountains of Switzerland.
Gretchen(thoughtfully): I think I’d rather have the children come and tell us about their Christmas. I’d be afraid in an airship.
Hans(eagerly): Let’s shut our eyes and wish they would come. They’ll be sure to if we wish hard on Christmas Eve. We’ll have a Christmas party!
(Both children shut their eyes and are silent. A fairy enters. She is dressed in white, spangled with gilt. She has a star on her forehead and carries a wand. She dances about the stage, singing; then stands in front of the children. Shewaves her wand over them, and they open their eyes.)
Gretchen(rising in surprise): Who are you, Fairy?
Fairy: I am the Christmas fairy, and I have come to answer your wish. I grant all the wishes that good children make on Christmas Eve.
Hans(earnestly): Oh, dear Fairy, will children really come from America and from Switzerland and from Holland to tell us about their Christmas?
Fairy: They will come because you wished it, and from other countries as well. (She dances around the room once more, and vanishes. Hans and Gretchen run to the door and look after her. They clap their hands and dance around the room for joy.)
Hans: We’re really going to have a Christmas party! Let’s go on trimming the tree. (While they are doing this, they finish the song.)
But, indeed, you know our need,Know our heart’s desires;Children, father, and mamma!You know, too, our grandpapa!Yes, we all are waiting—ah!Waiting, you know, tires!
But, indeed, you know our need,Know our heart’s desires;Children, father, and mamma!You know, too, our grandpapa!Yes, we all are waiting—ah!Waiting, you know, tires!
But, indeed, you know our need,Know our heart’s desires;Children, father, and mamma!You know, too, our grandpapa!Yes, we all are waiting—ah!Waiting, you know, tires!
(The sound of a bell is heard and a little girlenters, ringing a Swiss bell. She is dressed in a Swiss costume.)
Swiss child: I come from the lofty mountains of Switzerland to give you greeting. (The two children run to welcome her.)
Hans: Did you come in an airship?
Swiss child: No; the Christmas fairy brought me. What a beautiful tree!
Hans: Yes; it’s our Christmas tree. Don’t you have one? Doesn’t St. Nicholas bring you presents?
Swiss child: No; the Christmas Lady[10]comes to us. She wears a white gown and a red cap, and she carries a basket of toys on her back. But only good children get toys. She brings a switch for the bad ones, and they must keep it all the year and get whipped whenever they are naughty!
Gretchen: I’m so glad St. Nicholas has a wife to help him. It would be so hard for him to get along by himself. Let’s sing a little till the other children come.
(They dance slowly around the tree, singing. While they are singing, a hard clacking of wooden shoes is heard at the door. The children stop to listen, and a little Dutch girl enters. She carries a wand with a star on the end and has a basket of sweetmeats on her arm.)
Gretchen(coming to greet her): Here is our little neighbor. I’m so glad you have come. Do the children in Holland have a Christmas Eve like ours?
Dutch child: We don’t have a pretty tree like that, and we don’t hang our stockings before the fire. Good St. Nicholas comes to visit us in the evening. He brings toys for the good children and abig birch rodfor the naughty ones. When he comes in, every one joins in this song of welcome:
Welcome, good St. Nicholas, welcome,Bring no rod for us to-night;While our voices bid thee welcome,Every heart with joy is light.
Welcome, good St. Nicholas, welcome,Bring no rod for us to-night;While our voices bid thee welcome,Every heart with joy is light.
Welcome, good St. Nicholas, welcome,Bring no rod for us to-night;While our voices bid thee welcome,Every heart with joy is light.
Then we recite verses and play games for a while. As St. Nicholas goes away he scatters sweetmeats on the floor. We children scramble for them and try to fill our baskets. Then, after he has gone away, we all go into another room and put our shoes on a table. We always put a bit of hay in each shoe for St. Nicholas’s good old horse, Sleipner.
Gretchen: Oh! St. Nicholas comes to us with reindeer.
Dutch child: In Holland he goes about on his good horse, Sleipner. Then we all say“Good-night,” and go to bed. While we are asleep St. Nicholas comes back and fills all the shoes. Every one in the house gets presents.
Gretchen: Why do you carry that pretty star?
Dutch child: This is the Star of Bethlehem. The children in Holland walk about the streets early on Christmas Eve and follow one who carries the star. People give the children gifts of money and other things, and these are all given to the poor.
Gretchen: I think that is a beautiful Christmas Eve. Will you try to teach us your song of welcome to St. Nicholas? (The Dutch child sings her song again and the other children sing it after her. They join hands, and dance a simple folk dance in time to the music. As they sing, a sound of sleigh bells interrupts them. A child runs in, dressed in Russian coat and furs. She is glistening with snow.)
Russian child: Oh! Your fire looks warm and bright! Christmas is cold, indeed, on the snowy plains of Russia. I am sorry for poor Babouscka to-night.
Gretchen: Come up to the fire and get warm, and tell us who Babouscka is. (All seat themselves around the fire.)
Russian child: Babouscka! Don’t youknow about her? On Christmas Eve every little Russian child expects a visit from a little old woman called Babouscka. Long, long ago, on Christmas Eve, Babouscka was sweeping her house when Three Wise Men came to the door and asked her to go with them to bear gifts to a little child. She said she would go when she had finished sweeping, but they said, “We may not wait. We follow a star.” So they went their way. Afterwards Babouscka was sorry she hadn’t gone with them. So she started out alone to find the child, and ever since, on Christmas Eve, she wanders about to every house where there are children, seeking the wonderful child the Wise Men talked about. But always, when she asks for the child, the answer is the same, “Farther on! Farther on!”
Gretchen: Poor Babouscka! I hope she will find the child sometime. Let’s go on with the song. Perhaps some one else will come. (They continue singing. A French child enters.)
Hans: Oh! Here comes a little maid of France! I know her by her pretty cap. Come, tell us what you do on Christmas Eve, and who brings your gifts.
French child: Christmas is a holy time with us. The Christ Child himself brings the gifts. We call him Le Petit Noël.
Hans: Do you hang up your stocking for him to fill?
French child: No; we put our shoes by the hearth at night and Le Petit Noël comes down the chimney and fills them.
Hans: Your shoes? I’m glad we hang up our stockings—they hold so much more. Wooden shoes won’t stretch!
Gretchen: What a lovely Christmas party we are having! Just think, here are children from Switzerland, Holland, Russia, and France. I wonder if any more children will come. Let’s all dance and sing while we wait. (They go on with the song. Sound of sleigh bells is heard outside. An English child enters.)
English child: A Merrie Christmas from Merrie England!
Hans: Oh! another guest! How lovely of you to come to our party. Do you have Christmas Eve parties at home?
English child: Oh, yes; Christmas Eve is the merriest night of the year with us.
Hans: Tell us all about it. (The children seat themselves about the hearth, the English child in the center.)
English child: Early in the morning we go to the woods and gather evergreens. Then we trim all the rooms with holly, mistletoe, box, andbay; in the evening we light the great yule log.
Gretchen: What’s the yule log?
English child: Well, it’s a big log that we always burn in the fireplace on Christmas Eve. All the family meet together on Christmas Eve, and we have a beautiful tree like yours. Every one gives a present to every one else, and we sing and tell stories and have a happy time. Then early on Christmas morning the waits come round and waken us, singing Christmas carols. At dinner we have a great big plum pudding, and mother puts brandy on it and sets fire to the brandy, and it makes a pretty blue flame.
Gretchen: I think that must be a happy Christmas. Who are the waits that sing the carols?
English child: They are children who go about from house to house, early on Christmas morning, and sing.
Gretchen: Will you sing one of your carols for us?
English child: Yes, if you will all help. (English child sings carol.)
I saw three ships come sailing in;On Christmas day, on Christmas day;I saw three ships come sailing in;On Christmas day in the morning.Pray whither sailed those ships all three,On Christmas day, on Christmas day,Pray whither sailed those ships all three,On Christmas day in the morning?And all the bells on earth shall ringOn Christmas day, on Christmas day,And all the bells on earth shall ringOn Christmas day in the morning.
I saw three ships come sailing in;On Christmas day, on Christmas day;I saw three ships come sailing in;On Christmas day in the morning.Pray whither sailed those ships all three,On Christmas day, on Christmas day,Pray whither sailed those ships all three,On Christmas day in the morning?And all the bells on earth shall ringOn Christmas day, on Christmas day,And all the bells on earth shall ringOn Christmas day in the morning.
I saw three ships come sailing in;On Christmas day, on Christmas day;I saw three ships come sailing in;On Christmas day in the morning.
Pray whither sailed those ships all three,On Christmas day, on Christmas day,Pray whither sailed those ships all three,On Christmas day in the morning?
And all the bells on earth shall ringOn Christmas day, on Christmas day,And all the bells on earth shall ringOn Christmas day in the morning.
(Children join in the refrain. As they finish the carol, a Swedish child enters.)
Swedish child: What a beautiful Christmas party! I’m so glad the Christmas fairy brought me.
Hans: Oh, are you another little maid from France?
Swedish child: Oh, no; I come from the frozen north—from Sweden.
Gretchen: Do you have Christmas ’way up there? And does St. Nicholas go so far on Christmas Eve?
Swedish child: Of course we have Christmas, but I never heard of St. Nicholas before.
Hans(to Gretchen): There’s another country he doesn’t go to, Gretchen. (To Swedish child.) Doesn’t any one bring the little Swedish children presents on Christmas Eve?
Swedish child: Oh, yes; the Christmas gnomes do that! They are a little old man and a little old woman who come to every home in Sweden, bringing gifts for all in the house. The old man carries a bell and the old woman a large basket filled with gifts. In Sweden every one is remembered on Christmas Day, and a sheaf of grain is fastened to a pole at each house so that not even the birds are forgotten.
Hans: Oh, Gretchen, let us put up some grain for the birds to-morrow morning! (Song is heard outside.)
Gretchen: Hark—some one is singing! (They all listen. Irish child sings behind the screen.)
At Christmas time in IrelandThere is feasting, there is song,And merrily the fife and fiddle play;And lightly dance the colleens,And the boys, the evening long,At Christmas time in Ireland far away!(Irish child enters, singing.)Oh, there’s nothing half so sweetIn any land on earthAs Christmas time in Ireland far away!
At Christmas time in IrelandThere is feasting, there is song,And merrily the fife and fiddle play;And lightly dance the colleens,And the boys, the evening long,At Christmas time in Ireland far away!(Irish child enters, singing.)Oh, there’s nothing half so sweetIn any land on earthAs Christmas time in Ireland far away!
At Christmas time in IrelandThere is feasting, there is song,And merrily the fife and fiddle play;And lightly dance the colleens,And the boys, the evening long,At Christmas time in Ireland far away!
(Irish child enters, singing.)
Oh, there’s nothing half so sweetIn any land on earthAs Christmas time in Ireland far away!
Hans: Christmas time in Ireland!
Irish child: Yes, Christmas Day is a dayof feasting and merriment. Where did you get that pretty tree?
Hans: It’s our Christmas tree. Don’t you have one?
Irish child: No; I never saw one before.
Hans: Doesn’t St. Nicholas come to you? Don’t you get presents?
Irish child(shaking her head thoughtfully): No.
Hans: Then how can you have a merry Christmas?
Irish child: No; we don’t get gifts at home. We give them to the poor. On Christmas Eve we light the great yule log in the fireplace. Then, while it roars and crackles on the hearth, we sit around and hear the tale that we love so well, of the shepherds who watched their flock by night, and of the Christ Child in the manger. Before we go to bed we put the great candle decked with ribbons in the window so that our welcome may shine out for the Christ Child, should he wander that way. On Christmas morning, of course, we all go to church, and then we come home to the best dinner, and all the young people dance and make merry far into the night.
Hans(to Gretchen): Think of a Christmas Eve without a tree or St. Nicholas or gifts!
Irish child: But we have the yule log and the story-telling, and we dance and sing.
Hans: Was that one of your Christmas songs you were singing as you came in?
Irish child: Yes, every one sings that song at Christmas time.
Hans: Won’t you sing the rest of it for us?
(Child finishes the song.)At Christmas time in Ireland,How the holly branches twine,In stately hall and cabin old and gray!And red among the leavesThe holly berries twine—At Christmas time in Ireland far away!
(Child finishes the song.)At Christmas time in Ireland,How the holly branches twine,In stately hall and cabin old and gray!And red among the leavesThe holly berries twine—At Christmas time in Ireland far away!
(Child finishes the song.)
At Christmas time in Ireland,How the holly branches twine,In stately hall and cabin old and gray!And red among the leavesThe holly berries twine—At Christmas time in Ireland far away!
(Just as she finishes the song, the American child runs in. They all rise to greet her.)
American child: I’m late because I had so far to come. The fairy carried me high over the seas from America.
Hans: America! I’m so glad you have come! I wondered what the American children were doing to-night.
American child(looking around): Why, I think you must do just what we do on Christmas Eve. You have a tree—you put evergreens around—and you hang your stockings up for Santa Claus to fill.
Hans: Santa Claus? St. Nicholas comes to us.
Gretchen: He’s the same, Hans, only they call him a little different.
Dutch child: Does he come on his horse?
American child: No, he is drawn in a sleigh with eight reindeer. He comes down the chimney and fills our stockings with toys and candy, when we are asleep.
Dutch child: Doesn’t he bring a switch for the bad ones?
American child: Oh, no; Santa Claus never leaves anything but toys.
Dutch child: I wish he wouldn’t bring it when he comes to us!
Gretchen: Isn’t it funny? We all do different things on Christmas Eve. But we all have a happy time and love it, and I’m sure each one of us likes her own way the best. (Sounds of sleigh bells are heard outside, and children laughing. Gretchen runs to the window and looks out.) Oh, here are the village children! They have come to our Christmas party. (The village children run in. All greet each other and join in singing.)
This tree was grown on Christmas Day.Hail, old Father Christmas!Old and young together say,Hail, old Father Christmas!Bright the colored tapers shine;Hail, old Father Christmas!Bright to-day the love divine.Hail, old Father Christmas!Bright and light our Christmas tree,Hail, old Father Christmas!Bright and light our hearts must be.Hail, old Father Christmas!Dance, then, children, dance and sing,Hail, old Father Christmas!All the merry chorus ring.Hail, old Father Christmas!
This tree was grown on Christmas Day.Hail, old Father Christmas!Old and young together say,Hail, old Father Christmas!Bright the colored tapers shine;Hail, old Father Christmas!Bright to-day the love divine.Hail, old Father Christmas!Bright and light our Christmas tree,Hail, old Father Christmas!Bright and light our hearts must be.Hail, old Father Christmas!Dance, then, children, dance and sing,Hail, old Father Christmas!All the merry chorus ring.Hail, old Father Christmas!
This tree was grown on Christmas Day.Hail, old Father Christmas!Old and young together say,Hail, old Father Christmas!Bright the colored tapers shine;Hail, old Father Christmas!Bright to-day the love divine.Hail, old Father Christmas!Bright and light our Christmas tree,Hail, old Father Christmas!Bright and light our hearts must be.Hail, old Father Christmas!Dance, then, children, dance and sing,Hail, old Father Christmas!All the merry chorus ring.Hail, old Father Christmas!
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest,And on earth peace,Good will toward men.
Glory to God in the highest,And on earth peace,Good will toward men.
Glory to God in the highest,And on earth peace,Good will toward men.
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even untoBethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
A bright-faced boy stood in the center of a group of ragged children, telling them a story. Behind them were the forlorn shacks of a mining camp, built of odd boards of different colors with tar paper or bits of tin for the roofs. A fluttering line of untidy wash was the only sign of life about the place, for the men were away working in the mines and the women—there were only ten of them in the camp of fifty men—were busy indoors.
It was a desolate scene, but the children seemed to have forgotten it. They were gazing spellbound at the lad in their midst, their minds so full of the picture he was describing that the snowy fields before them and the miserable camp behind them seemed miles away. Instead, they saw what the boy saw as he looked straight before him, gazing into space with a light upon his face as if he were beholding the radiant scene of which he spoke.
“There were angels,” he was saying in a clear, thrilling voice, “hundreds of them, all withglistening wings and faces as light as the sunshine. They made the dark night as bright as day, and when the shepherds saw them they were frightened. But the angels said, ‘Fear not,’ and told them to go to a stable in the city near by, where, lying in a manger, they would find a baby King. So the shepherds hurried up the steep path to the city, carrying the lambs in their arms, and the sky echoed with the angels’ song. It was the gladdest night in the whole world.”
“But that is not all!” cried the children. “Tell us about the wonderful star and the men on camels.”
“Listen,” said the story-teller, although every child was already listening with all his might, “listen to what I am going to tell you to-day. It is the most marvelous thing you have ever heard. In ten days Christmas will be here, although the folks at the camp are so busy and lonesome they have forgotten it. But when I asked my mother how we could ever have a Christmas tree in this far-away place like we used to at home, she said thatperhaps”—here the lad, Carl, paused a moment, and again he gazed into the distance, his face glowing, “perhaps,” he continued mysteriously, “the glorious star would shine againhereto guide,not the wise men on camels, but us—the children—to the birthplace of a little baby!”
“Shall we see the angels too?” questioned a girl, her voice trembling with excitement. “Will the dark sky be bright and full of singing like you said?” demanded another, and “Will the shepherds be there? And the camels? And the men with precious gifts?” asked others.
“Perhaps so,” answered Carl; he did not know, he only knew that they must watch every night now for a new glorious star. Of course that would be the beginning of it all, the beginning of the most wonderful Christmas that had happened since the angels sang to the shepherds on the plains of Bethlehem.
A shrill whistle blew, the call for supper, and the children ran back over the snowy path to the big shack where the men met for meals. They were all seated, talking angrily, when the children entered. One of the men, a leader among them, had just read aloud a letter from the owner of the mine. Such a small amount of gold had been found, the letter said, that unless more was discovered within ten days, the mine would be closed. Also, as the miners had been working on part shares, their wages would be very small, barely enough to pay for their trips back to their homes. A murmur ofanger and ugly threats ran around the room. The men had traveled to this desolate spot with the dream of going back rich for life and now, after months of hard, dangerous labor, they would return poorer than when they came. Before the eyes of many of them arose pictures of bare homes where their families were struggling bravely against illness and poverty, counting the days until the miners returned with pockets full of gold.
“As beggars we will never go back!” cried one man. “Better blow up the mine with us in it than see our children starve!” cried another, and then the children, whose fathers were the few who had brought their families with them, rushed into the room, their faces bright with the great hope in their hearts. “Ten days from now will be Christmas!” cried one little lad. “And something wonderful will happen then!” cried another. The men turned upon them savagely. “If any child talks of Christmas again, I’ll give him a licking that will make him forget the day,” exclaimed one man, and another growled, “Ten days from now we’ll all be beggars. Is that what you call ‘something wonderful’ happening?”
To the children, Carl’s story began to seem an idle dream. How could a baby King, aglorious Christ Child, come to this miserable spot, or an angel’s song ring through a camp where, as the night went on, the noise of fighting and swearing echoed more and more wildly?
With a despairing hope of still finding the gold within ten days, the miners went out to their work morning after morning before dawn, and evening after evening they returned, utterly discouraged. It was small wonder that their faces grew rough and fierce and the children crept fearfully out of their way. Their own fathers were even more wretched than the others, for the small wages would not pay the return trip of a whole family and, after ten days were over, they could not live on with no food in that desolate camp. Starvation stared them in the face, and the coming of Christmas meant nothing to them.
Only Carl’s mother thought of it sometimes with a sad little smile, and when Carl questioned her about the star and the baby of whose coming she had spoken, she said softly, “When the Christ Child came His mother also had no clothes in which to dress Him.” Then Carl saw tears shining in her eyes and he dared not question her further, although the one thought in his mind day and night was the coming of the young King.
Late every afternoon the children met beside a group of snow-laden fir trees behind the shacks, and once there, the gloom and terror of the camp slipped from them. The snow-covered mountains glittered in the distance, and Carl told them again and again of the shepherds and the angels.
Then late one evening, while the children watched in breathless excitement, a radiant, glowing star shone forth in the evening sky. It was the same star, they all firmly believed, which had led the wise men so many years ago, and at first they thought with Carl that it had come again to lead them to the cradle of the King. All that night they lay awake on their hard cots, quivering with excitement as they listened for the music of the angels’ song. But only the wrangling of the men echoed through the darkness, and again the children’s bright dreams were overshadowed by the gloom in the lives around them. Still each day they had their hour of happiness beside the ice-hung fir trees, while the star shone forth, and Carl told them of his hopes. Never for a moment did he doubt that the star would lead them to the blessed birthplace, and as the days went by he added other thoughts to his picture.
“When the wise men came they broughtpresents for Him,” he said one afternoon, “bags of gold, the kind our fathers are looking for, and for which they say they have risked and ruined their lives. Perhaps—perhaps—” his voice was trembling now with the wonder of his hope, “when the Christ Child comes, He may bring to the miners some of the gold the wise men brought to Him!”
The thought was so marvelous that the children planned to tell the men about it, but when they looked up into those grim, lowering faces their hearts failed them and they went quietly to bed.
So nine days slipped by, and the afternoon before Christmas came. The next day, if no gold had been found, the mine would be closed, and the miners went to work that morning in deadly silence, hopeless despair written upon their faces. The snow had fallen heavily all night, and during the day a few flakes still drifted from the gray, leaden sky. The shacks were cold and cheerless and the women, as depressed now as the men, moved heavily about their tasks. Only Carl’s mother was not with them, and deep in their own misery no one gave her a thought. The children were huddled in one corner under a ragged bed quilt, while Carl, by the magic of his faith andwords, brought color to their cheeks and light to their eyes.
“This is the day He will come,” the lad was whispering. “My mother went out into the snow this morning and before she went she kissed me and said, ‘The little baby is coming to-day, my son, and where is the home ready to receive him?’ I don’t know just what she meant, for of course the angels will be waiting to take care of the little King.”
“But if it is snowing, how can we see the star?” asked the children, and as if in answer to their question the sun came out brilliantly. Like a fairyland of silver and powdered diamonds the world shone in its mantle of snow and ice, and into it rushed the children, flying over the fields, eager, joyous, expectant. Quickly the short afternoon passed, the sun set in a glory of rose and gold, and then again to the watching children appeared the splendid evening star upon which all their hopes and dreams were centered. It was bigger and brighter than ever before, but it didn’t move as the children had been sure it would, and for a moment a puzzled silence fell upon the group. Then Carl, who had been as bewildered as the others, laughed outright. “Look!” he exclaimed joyously, pointing to the old barnbeyond the fir trees, where the few camp animals were kept. “It doesn’t move because it is here! See, there, right below the star, is the stable. We thought, just as the wise men did, that the star would take us to a palace, but perhaps again the little King is lying in a manger!”
For a moment it all seemed too wonderful to be true. Could the King be there already, lying in the old stable, waiting for them? Then suddenly to the children everything seemed possible. With the glorious star shining in the glowing sky above them, the glittering mountains behind them, and Carl’s triumphant voice calling them to follow, faith in the King’s coming seemed only natural. With hearts as full of joy as the shepherds’ on the Bethlehem plains, the children climbed up the snowy path to the little stable, through whose windows there already shone a golden light. Was it the light from the angels’ wings or was it—could it be—the glory which shone around the Christ Child Himself?
Very quietly and reverently the awestruck children opened the door and stepped inside. What did they see?
Nothing at first. Their eyes were blinded by the light of a great fire which burned in the rude stone fireplace, a fire kindled with evergreen branches so that the room was full of thefragrance of Christmas trees. “This is the odor of the frankincense and myrrh,” whispered one child. “He must have brought it with Him for us.” Then, as their eyes grew accustomed to the brilliant light, they saw in one dim corner the old donkey which drew heavy loads for the miners. Beside him stood one cow, a couple of sheep, and on the rafters over their heads perched a pair of blue pigeons. The children had seen them all before, often, but in the light of the fire, with the star shining above them, the simple animals, the same as those which had surrounded the Christ on the first Christmas, seemed as miraculous as a host of angels. And then, at last, they saw the One for whom they were seeking!
The cow’s manger had been pulled out beside the blazing fire and in it, warm and cozy and wrapped in swaddling bands, lay a tiny, beautiful baby. With a gasp of wonder the children knelt in the straw before him. Around his head was no circle of marvelous glory, but his sweet blue eyes opened, big and shining in his tiny face, and to the children he seemed indeed the baby King of whom they had dreamed. Beside him on the straw lay a woman wrapped in a dark cloak. Even Carl did not at first recognize her as his mother. She had crept off that morningto the one peaceful spot in the camp, where her husband had built the great fire for her, and there, with the peaceful animals around him, the little baby boy had been born.
“The Christ Child has come to us,” whispered one child blissfully. “The little King is here!” said others softly. “He has brought the fragrance the wise men gave Him,” murmured another. “And the joy of Christmas He has brought to us all to last forever,” said Carl in his sweet voice. Overwhelmed with the beauty and wonder of the scene, they had forgotten the longed-for gift of gold, and then the door swung open and the children saw Carl’s father enter and step across the room to the mother on the hay. His face shone with the glory in which the whole world seemed to be bathed. Was it only the light of the sunset and the blazing fire? Ah, no, his voice rang with gladness as he exclaimed, “Wife, they have found the gold; the mine will give treasure to us all!”
The children clasped their hands in blissful content. They had known it would come with the coming of the little King,—gold for the desperate men, peace for the tired women, happiness for them all,—and it had come true even more wonderfully than they had dreamed.
The star shone through the window in theloft, the last rays of the sunset turned the snow to gold, and within, in the light of the fire, the children knelt, gazing rapturously at the little newborn baby in the manger. So the miners found them. They were returning to the camp jubilant over the newly discovered gold; it would make them all rich, and they planned to celebrate by a night of riotous drinking. But on the way to the shacks they passed the stable. It was strange to see it lighted at this hour, and one man turned aside to see what was happening there. As he stood looking silently through the window another joined him, and another, until the whole crowd stood outside, gazing through the windows, silent and abashed. The kneeling children, the baby in the manger, the star above them, what did it all mean?
“It is Christmas Eve,” murmured one man. “That must be the big Carl’s kid,” said another, “but even the blessed Lord Jesus Himself couldn’t have looked any sweeter.”
“Gifts of gold,” said the man who was the leader of the gang, and his clear voice reached every miner’s ears, “gifts of gold, if I remember rightly, were brought once to the Christ on His first birthday. It’s His birthday to-night, though none of us remembered it, and now the gifts of gold have come to us. Who knowswhether they have not come from Him, the Lord whom we had forgotten?”
There was silence again, and then as night fell and the stars shone out over that peaceful scene, there entered into the heart of every man, woman, and child there the spirit of the Christ Child.
Later, when the children understood that the baby was Carl’s little brother, the wonder was none the less. Possibly they felt the great truth, that the Christ Child is born in every baby who comes into the world, or perhaps they simply felt the glory of His presence, as the men and women around them lost their harsh and gloomy ways and became joyful, tender, compassionate. For from that Christmas Eve until the mine had been worked, and the men had scattered happily to their homes, the camp was a different place. The drinking and fighting ceased, and the men played with the children, shyly at first and then merrily, thinking of “those other kids at home.” The women sang over their tasks, and if the music was not as heavenly as the angels’ song, it was full of cheer and peace and good will. And so to the children the camp became truly a place in which, on that marvelous Christmas Eve, the Christ Child had been born.
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.... And, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him; and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh.—Matthew ii, 1-4; 9-11.
In every life there is need of a star, the star of an ideal, which shall go before, leading the way until it comes and stands where the Christ is. They who see such a star shall rejoice with exceeding great joy, as they who lookupon a heavenly vision. They who follow such a star to the goal where it leads, shall there offer the precious gift of an ennobled and sanctified life.