The Magi honored the Christ child with three gifts.
In honor of the magi, I read three Christmas tales each December.
The Elves and the Shoemaker by the Brothers Grimm
The tale of a humble and honest shoemaker near the end of his resources. He lays out material for one last pair of shoes, intending to finish them in the morning. He awakes to find a marvelous pair of shoes, all made that sell for a premium. This goes on for many nights until the shoemaker and his wife keep watch one night to discover the helpful elves who are inexplicably naked. The shoemaker’s wife makes a tiny set of clothes for each tiny shoemaker. The elves are giddy with delight and prance away, but the shoemaker is prosperous enough by this time that we assume he makes a comfortable living on his own.
It is intended, no doubt, to show the virtues of honesty, charity, and gratitude. It is very short and sweet, but definitely intended for very young children.
A Kidnapped Santa Claus
by L. Frank Baum
From the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz comes a Christmas fantasy of the year Santa is kidnapped by some jealous neighbors: the daemons of Selfishness, Envy, Hatred, Malice, and Repentance. Before they resort to kidnapping, they try to spoil Santa’s reputation by tempting him with their special vices, but the Jolly Old Elf is immune to their wiles, so they resort to more desperate measures. It all comes right in the end, and even though Santa fails to make his Christmas Eve rounds, some of Santa’s helpers make the deliveries for him with only minor mixups resulting in some oddly matched gifts and recipients.
Also very short, but not so well known. Any similarity to a major motion picture is purely coincidental. Although…A Kidnapped Santa Claus is in the public domain, so… just sayin.
Noel by J. R. R. Tolkien
A poem by the author of The Lord of the Rings. I've read most everthing Tolkien wrote, but this was unknown to me until this year. It was unknown to anyone until 2013.
It's an homage to the birth of our Lord, and a bit less traditional. Tolkien paints a picture of the night of Christ's birth describing bleak winter scenes. I believe the imagery is metaphorical for the hopeless condition of man without a savior, rather than a physical description of the night that night. It's quite beautiful.
Mary sang in this world below:
They heard her song arise
O’er mist and over mountain snow
To the walls of Paradise,
And the tongue of many bells was stirred
in Heaven’s towers to ring
When the voice of mortal maid was heard,
That was mother of Heaven’s King.
The poem in entirety can be found HERE.
Merry Christmas
~ The Wanderer
May you be blessed with
the spirit of the season, which is Peace,
the gladness of the season, which is Hope,
and the heart of the season, which is Love
.
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