The First Christmas Tree: Other Stories [Hardcover]

Henry Van Dyke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2002

Henry Van Dyke was one of the most popular and enduring writers of the 20th century. His sermons, poems, and short stories, such as The Story of the Other Wise Man (Paraclete, over 28,000 sold) were well-loved by children and adults alike. A new volume, The First Christmas Tree and Other Stories combines two books by Van Dyke, The First Christmas Tree and The Spirit of Christmas, in a keepsake edition for the whole family.

The First Christmas Tree and Other Stories features woodcut etchings, and comes in a hardcover, gift-sized format ideal for holiday gift-giving. Children, parents, grandparents, teachers, pastors, and lovers of classic literature will welcome this new edition of a beloved Christmas classic.

The First Christmas Tree, a tale of the origin of the first Christmas tree, was first written in 1897 and read aloud to Van Dyke's congregation at Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City. Set in 722 A.D., the story tells of how Prince Gregor, "a young boy with the spirit of a man," and his hero, the daring Winfried of England, journey through treacherous land to reach the heathen people of the forest on Christmas eve. When they arrive, Winfried rescues the heathen from an unspeakable evil, destroys the great oak tree where they worshiped their false god, and points to a young fir tree, "the tree of the Christ-child," as the people's new sign of worship, symbolizing laughter, songs, and rites of love.

The Spirit of Christmas is comprised of stories and prayers including The Christmas Angel, a story of a child-angel who predicts the coming of Christ as a baby in Bethlehem, Christmas Giving and Christmas Living, a simple, charming message about how to give from the heart, and Christmas Prayers, with prayers for the home and for "lonely folks" at Christmas.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Van Dyke's most famous Christmas story, "The Story of the Other Wise Man," is beloved of generations of readers, and this volume offers two more holiday stories from the 19th-century Presbyterian minister. The opening yarn, "The First Christmas Tree," is the better of the two, portraying in dark detail an eighth-century struggle between foresters who are clinging to the old gods and solstice festivals, and a heroic Christian who journeys far to teach them about the celebration of birth of Christ. Van Dyke's descriptions can be startling and memorable, as when he depicts "the eerie woodland, somber and limitless" that the party must pass through, or the oaks' "branches twisted and knotted as if in rage." The second story is more didactic, centering around a group of angels who sermonize to one another about what should be done about the troubles of the world. The small gift book format, woodcut illustrations and two-color design will appeal to holiday gift-givers.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

. . . wonderfully warm. . . classic story. . . -- The Presbyterian Layman, October 2002

. . .startling and memorable. . . -- Publishers Weekly, September 23, 2002

Product Details

• Hardcover: 132 pages
• Publisher: Paraclete Pr (September 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557253153
• ISBN-13: 978-1557253156
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,264,879 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Legend, April 1, 2003

By 

Jedidiah Palosaari "Not My Real Name" (Fes, Morocco) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The First Christmas Tree: Other Stories (Hardcover)

Van Dyke does not write story, or myth, but legend. You feel it in every pulse of his words, and every dwelling of his thoughts, that here is something greater than everyday life, which exists within the day to day, but is of a time far removed, much like our own time. His prose is beauty, and I find myself repeatedly returning to phrases and turns of idea and sentences, catching myself on the profundity of thought which I had not originally realized in the first reading, but now needed to steep myself within the understanding that Van Dyke experienced. I know of few authors that compare to his wonder at the world and the word, causing us as his readers to learn appreciation and know the beautiful.

I read this book at a time of sorrow and disappointment, when the plans I so desired were astray, and my hopes seemingly demolished. I needed encouragement, and to dream again. Here I learned to dream of power encounters and new trees, and the wonder of the power of love that at first only the angels see. The occasional pictures are resplendently simple, encouraging imagination rather than stealing it away. After the stories, a short sermon on the giving of gifts, which did not feel at all sermonizing or patronizing, but rather wonderful words, on how to care. And lastly, needed Christmas prayers, for those at home, and for the lonely- not sentimental, but prayers which stimulate growth just in the very reading.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Get In the Christmas Spirit, Beautiful for Gift Giving, December 29, 2009

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Love Books! - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The First Christmas Tree: Other Stories (Hardcover)

This is a beautiful book. I read it to keep the Christmas spirit about me while bustling about getting Christmas ready. I liked The First Christmas Tree story but I loved the story of The Christmas Angel and the Spirit of Christmas with the Christmas Prayers at the back.

4.0 out of 5 stars Henry Van Dyke's Christmas, December 9, 2011

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K. Noll (Midwest Mom) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The First Christmas Tree: Other Stories (Hardcover)

This book arrived on time in great condition. The tale VanDyke weaves is of the first Christmas tree in a mythocial setting. It's a good book to entertain older children and adults, but not recommended for younger children. If you want a different perscpective on the Christmas tree, this one is for you.