All PostsBy Willa Cather TWO very shabby looking young men stood at the corner of Prairie Avenue and Eightieth Street, looking despondently at the carriages that whirled by. It was Christmas Eve, and the streets were full of vehicles; florists’ wagons, grocers’ carts and carriages. … Continue readingA Burglars’ Christmas
By Mary Griggs Van Voorhis It was an ideal Christmas day. The sun shone brightly but the air was crisp and cold, and snow and ice lay sparkling everywhere. A light wind, the night before, had swept the blue, icebound river clean of scattering snow; … Continue readingThe boy with the Box
By Kate Douglas Wiggin I. A LITTLE SNOW BIRD It was very early Christmas morning, and in the stillness of the dawn, with the soft snow falling on the housetops, a little child was born in the Bird household. They had intended to name the … Continue readingThe Birds’ Christmas Carol
By Elizabeth Harrison Once upon a time, a long time ago, far away across the great ocean, in a country called Germany, there could be seen a small log hut on the edge of a great forest, whose fir trees extended for miles and miles … Continue readingLITTLE GRETCHEN AND THE WOODEN SHOE
By Aunt Hede This is the story of how the fir tree became the Christmas tree. At the time when the Christ Child was born all the people, the animals, and the trees, and plants were very happy. The Child was born to bring peace … Continue readingHow the Fir Tree Became the Christmas Tree
By Francois Coppee, translated by Nannie-Lee-Frayser. Long ago, and far from here, in a country with a name too hard to pronounce, there lived a little boy named Jean. In many ways, he was just like the boys here, for there are many Johns over … Continue readingLittle jean
By Lucy Wheelock Two little children were sitting by the fire one cold winter’s night. All at once they heard a timid knock at the door, and one ran to open it. There, outside in the cold and the darkness, stood a child with no … Continue readingThe Legend of the Christmas Tree
By Nora A. Smith Christmas Day, you know, dear children, is Christ’s day, Christ’s birthday, and I want to tell you why we love it so much, and why we try to make every one happy when it comes each year. A long, long time … Continue readingThe Christmas Story
By Washington Gladden “Bring hither that sheepskin, Joseph, and lay it down on this bank of dry earth, under this shelving rock. The wind blows chilly from the west, but the rock will shelter us. The sky is fair and the moon is rising, and … Continue readingThe Shepard’s Story
Originally by Hans Christian Anderson Adapted by J.H. Stickney Far away in the forest, where the warm sun and the fresh air made a sweet resting place, grew a pretty little fir tree. The situation was all that could be desired; and yet it was … Continue readingThe Fir Tree