LEGEND OF THE CHRIST CHILD

There was a poor woodcutter who worked hard to make his ends meet and earn his earned his daily bread. He had a loving wife and two lovely children called Valentine and Marie. All of them helped him in his work, were obedient to him and pious in nature. They would daily read the Bible over the table, even if they had only a small loaf of bread to eat.

Once, when they were going through this particular daily ritual, somebody knocked on the window. It was a little child suffering from cold and hunger. They pitied him and immediately took him inside their small home. Both the children offered him a place near the fire to keep him warm and a portion of their bread. Since, he seemed very tired too, they offered him their bed too while they slept on the bench in great discomfort all through the night.

The stranger child thanked them for their kindness and soon fell asleep while they prayed for the poor child who did not even have the nice warm room and the comfortable bed that they had. They could only fall asleep late at night but the little Marie was woken up in the wee hours of the morning by sweet musical sound of harps and singing that seemed almost divine.

She gently woke up his brother Valentine and together they listened to the notes, which told them that it was the angels singing for the Christ Child, the child they had played host to a day before. Their hearts leapt with happiness and when they looked through te window to see the beautiful dawn and a number of little children holding golden harps and lutes dressed in sparkling silver robes.

They turned around to see the stranger Child standing behind them wearing golden robes and a golden crown. He told them that he was indeed the Christ Child and wandered about to give good things and joys to king and loving children. Since they had been so unselfish and helpful, he gave them his blessing and took a bough from a nearby fir tree and planted it in the ground. He then told them, that this branch would soon grow up in a tree and bear them Christmas fruits every year.

The Christ Child then vanished leaving the children overwhelmed with what they had seen and heard. Soon the fir branch grew into a high and stately Christmas tree that bore golden apples, silver nuts and lovely toys on every Christmas Eve. It is in remembrance and anticipation of the Christ Child that the Christmas tree is decorated every year.