The Glad Evangel
When the Child of Nazareth was born, the sun, according to the Bosnian legend, "leaped in the heavens, and the stars around it danced. A peace came over mountain and forest. Even the rotten stump stood straight and healthy on the green hill-side. The grass was beflowered with open blossoms, incense sweet as myrrh pervaded upland and forest, birds sang on the mountain top, and all gave thanks to the great God."
It is naught but an old folk-tale, but it has truth hidden at its heart, for a strange, subtle force, a spirit of genial good-will, a new-born kindness, seem to animate child and man alike when the world pays its tribute to the "heaven-sent youngling," as the poet Drummond calls the infant Christ.
When the Three Wise Men rode from the East into the West on that "first, best Christmas night," they bore on their saddle-bows three caskets filled with gold and frankincense and myrrh, to be laid at the feet of the manger-cradled babe of Bethlehem. Beginning with this old, old journey, the spirit of giving crept into the world's heart. As the Magi came bearing gifts, so do we also; gifts that relieve want, gifts that are sweet and fragrant with friendship, gifts that breathe love, gifts that mean service, gifts inspired still by the star that shone over the City of David nearly two thousand years ago.
Then hang the green coronet of the Christmas-tree with glittering baubles and jewels of flame; heap offerings on its emerald branches; bring the Yule log to the firing; deck the house with holly and mistletoe,
"And all the bells on earth shall ring
On Christmas day in the morning."
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*I'm not sure to what Wiggin is referring when she mentions "the Bosnian legend." It sounds like this folk tale includes the occurrence of miraculous events in nature at the time of Christ's birth (such as an old tree stump becoming revitalized). That being said, the actual story of Christ's birth is not a folk tale; it is a true story and can be found in the Bible, of course! The quotation by Drummond can be found in this poem. I do not know the origin of the phrase, "first, best Christmas night"; I was able to pull up a link to this song on amazon.com. The quote with which Wiggin ends her short story is from a traditional Christmas carol called, "I Saw Three Ships."
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