{"product_id":"2940013106192","title":"Christmas Stories \u0026 Legends","description":"I. The Legend of the \"White Gifts\"--Phebe A. Curtiss         9\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   II. Her Birthday Dream--Nellie C. King                       13\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  III. The Fir Tree--Hans Andersen--adapted by J. H. Stickney   25\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   IV. The Little Match Girl--Hans Andersen                     37\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    V. Little Piccola--Nora A. Smith                            41\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   VI. The Shepherd's Story--Dr. Washington                     47\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  VII. The Story of Christmas--Nora A. Smith                    63\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e VIII. The Legend of the Christmas Tree--Lucy Wheelock          69\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   IX. Little Jean--French of Francois Coppe. Translated by\u003cbr\u003e       Nannie Lee Frayser                                       71\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    X. How the Fir Tree Became the Christmas Tree--Aunt Hede\u003cbr\u003e       in Kindergarten Magazine                                 77\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   XI. The Magi in the West and Their Search for the\u003cbr\u003e       Christ--Frederick E. Dewhurst                            79\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  XII. Little Gretchen and the Wooden Shoe--Elizabeth\u003cbr\u003e       Harrison                                                 93\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e XIII. The Little Shepherd--Maud Lindsay                       105\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  XIV. Babouscka--Carolyn S. Bailey                            109\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   XV. The Boy with the Box--May Griggs Van Voorhis            113\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  XVI. The Worker in Sandal wood--Marjorie L. C. Pickthall     125\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e XVII. The Shepherd Who Didn't Go--Jay T. Stocking             135\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eXVIII. Paulina's Christmas--Adapted from Anna Robinson's\u003cbr\u003e       \"Little Paulina\"                                        145\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  XIX. Unto Us a Child Is Born--Phebe A. Curtiss               153\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   XX. The Star--Florence M. Kingsley                          159\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTHE LEGEND OF THE \"WHITE GIFTS\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs Told by Phebe A. Curtiss\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA great many years ago in a land far away from us there was a certain\u003cbr\u003eking who was dearly beloved by all of his people. Men admired him\u003cbr\u003ebecause he was strong and just. In all of his dealings they knew they\u003cbr\u003ecould depend upon him. Every matter that came to his consideration was\u003cbr\u003ecarefully weighed in his mind and his decisions were always wise.\u003cbr\u003eWomen trusted him because he was pure and true, with lofty thoughts\u003cbr\u003eand high ambitions, and the children loved him because of his\u003cbr\u003egentleness and tenderness toward them. He was never so burdened with\u003cbr\u003eaffairs of state that he could not stop to speak a pleasant word of\u003cbr\u003egreeting to the tiniest child, and the very poorest of his subjects\u003cbr\u003eknew they could count upon his interest in them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis deep-seated love and reverence for their king made the people of\u003cbr\u003ethis country wish very much for a way in which to give expression to\u003cbr\u003eit so that he would understand it. Many consultations were held and\u003cbr\u003eone after another the plans suggested were rejected, but at last a\u003cbr\u003emost happy solution was found. It was rapidly circulated here and\u003cbr\u003ethere and it met with the most hearty approval everywhere.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt was a plan for celebrating the King's birthday.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOf course, that had been done in many lands before, but there were\u003cbr\u003ecertain features about this celebration which differed materially from\u003cbr\u003eanything that had ever been tried. They decided that on the King's\u003cbr\u003ebirthday the people should all bring him gifts, but they wanted in\u003cbr\u003esome way to let him know that these gifts were the expression of a\u003cbr\u003elove on the part of the giver which was pure and true and unselfish,\u003cbr\u003eand in order to show that, it was decided that each gift should be a\u003cbr\u003e\"White Gift.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe King heard about this beautiful plan, and it touched his heart in\u003cbr\u003ea wonderful way. He decided that he would do his part to carry out the\u003cbr\u003eidea and let his loving subjects know how much he appreciated their\u003cbr\u003ethoughtfulness.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou can just imagine the excitement there was all over the land as the\u003cbr\u003eKing's birthday drew near. All sorts of loving sacrifices had been\u003cbr\u003emade and everyone was anxious to make his gift the very best he had to\u003cbr\u003eoffer. At last the day dawned, and eagerly the people came dressed in\u003cbr\u003ewhite and carrying their white gifts. To their surprise they were\u003cbr\u003eushered into a great, big room--the largest one in the palace. They\u003cbr\u003estood in silence when they first entered it, for it was beautiful\u003cbr\u003ebeyond all expression. It was a _white_ room;--the floor was white\u003cbr\u003emarble; the ceiling looked like a mass of soft, white fluffy clouds;\u003cbr\u003ethe walls were hung with beautiful white silken draperies, and all the\u003cbr\u003efurnishings were white. In one end of the room stood a stately white\u003cbr\u003ethrone, and seated upon it was their beloved ruler and he was clad in\u003cbr\u003eshining white robes, and his attendants--all dressed in white--were\u003cbr\u003egrouped around him.","brand":"SAP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47147457708272,"sku":"2940013106192","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940013106192_p0.jpg?v=1763576451","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940013106192","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}