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Speaker 1: The Legend of the Christmas Tree by Charles Dickens. Most

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children have seen a Christmas tree, and many know that

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the pretty and pleasant custom of hanging gifts on its

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boughs comes from Germany. But perhaps few have heard or

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read the story that is told to little German children

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respecting the origin of this custom. The story is called

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the Little Stranger, and runs thus. In a small cottage

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on the borders of a forest lived a poor laborer

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who gained a scanty living by cutting wood. He had

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a wife and two children who helped him in his work.

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The boy's name was Valentine, and the girl was called Mary.

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They were obedient, good children, and a great comfort to

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their parents. One winter evening, this happy little family were

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sitting quietly round the hearth, the knowing the wind raging

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outside while they ate their supper of dry bread, when

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a gentle tap was heard on the window, and a

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childish voice cried from without, Oh, let me in, pray.

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I am a poor little child with nothing to eat

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and no home to go to, and I shall die

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of cold and hunger unless you let me in. Valentine

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and Mary jumped up from the table and ran to

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open the door. Saying, come in, poor little child. We

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have not much to give you, but whatever we have

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we will share with you. The stranger child came in

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and warmed his frozen hands and feet at the fire,

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and the children gave him the best they had to eat, saying,

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you must be tired, too, poor child, Lie down on

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our bed. We can sleep on the bench for one night.

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Then said the little stranger child, thank God for all

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your kindness to me. So they took their little guest

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into their sleeping room, laid him on the bed, covered

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him over, and said to each other, how thankful we

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ought to be. We have warm rooms on a cozy bed,

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while this poor child has only heaven for his roof

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and the cold earth for his sleeping place. When their

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father and mother went to bed, Mary and Valentine lay

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quite contentedly on the bench near the fire, saying, before

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they fell asleep, the stranger child will be so happy

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to night in his warm bed. These kind children had

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not slept many hours before. Mary awoke and softly whispered

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to her brother Valentine, dear, wake and listen to the

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sweet music under the window. Then Valentine rubbed his eyes

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and listened. It was sweet music indeed and sounded like

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beautiful voices singing to the tones of a heart.

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Speaker 2: Oh, Holy child, we agree thee bringing sweet strains of

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har harp to aid our singing. Thou, holy child, in

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peace are sleeping while we are wat with THU dark keeping.

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Speaker 3: Blessed be the house wherein thou liest happy est on

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earth to Heaven the highest. The children listened while a

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solemn joy filled their hearts. Then they stepped softly to

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the window to see who might be without. In the

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east was a streak of rosy dawn, and in its

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light they saw a group of children standing before the house,

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clothed in silver garments, holding golden harps in their hands.

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Amazed at this sight, the children were still gazing out

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of the window when a light tap caused them to

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turn around. There stood the stranger child before them, clad

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in a golden dress with a gleaming radiance round his

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curling hair. I am the little christ Child, he said,

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who wanders through the world bringing peace and happiness to

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good children. You took me in and cared for me

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when you thought me a poor child, and now you

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shall have my blessing for what you have done. A

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fir tree grew near the house, and from this he

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broke a twig, which he planted in the ground, saying,

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this twig shall become a tree, and shall bring forth

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fruit year by year for you. No sooner had he

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done this than he vanished, and with him the little

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choir of angels. But the fir branch grew and became

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a Christmas tree, and on its branches hung golden apples

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and silver nuts every Christmas tide, such as the story

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told the Jerban children concerning their beautiful Christmas trees. Though

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we know that the real little Christ Child can never

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be wandering, cold and homeless again in our world, inasmuch

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as he is safe in heaven by his father's side,

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yet we may gather from this story the same truth

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which the Bible plainly tells us, that any one who

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helps a Christian child in distress, it will be counted

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unto him, as if he had in ye done it

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unto Christ himself. Inasmuch as ye have done it unto

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the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it

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unto mean. End of the Legend of the

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Speaker 1: Christmas Tree by Charles Dickens