Christmas in Legend and Story: A Book for Boys and Girls

Produced by David Schaal and PG Distributed Proofreaders
Some say that ever 'gainst that season comes Wherein our Saviour's birth, is celebrated, The bird of dawning singeth all night long: And then, they say, no spirit dares stir abroad; The nights are wholesome; then no planets strike, No fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm, So hallow'd and so gracious is the time.
1915
In our experience in library work with children we have learned that it is very difficult to find Christmas stories and legends which have literary merit, are reverent in spirit, and are also suitable for children. This collection has been made in an endeavor to meet this need, and thus to be of service to parents, teachers, and librarians.
Most of the stories and poems in this book are of the legendary type. They have been chosen from a wide variety of sources and represent the work of many writers. There are other stories also, which, although not strictly traditional, have the same reverent spirit and illustrate traditional beliefs and customs. These have been included for their literary value and their interest for young people.
In the arrangement of the selections we have followed the natural order of the events in preference to grouping the stories for boys and girls of different ages.
Although no attempt has been made to adapt the legends for story-telling, most of them may be used for that purpose. Many of the selections are also well suited for reading aloud.
Above all it is hoped that this book may bring real joy to the boys and girls for whom it has been compiled.
The compilers wish to thank Mrs. Margaret Deland for permission to use The Christmas Silence; Mrs. Etta Austin McDonald for her adaptation of Coppée's Sabot of Little Wolff from The Child Life Fifth Reader; Josephine Preston Peabody for The Song of a Shepherd-Boy at Bethlehem; Mrs. William Sharp for The Children of Wind and the Clan of Peace, by Fiona Macleod; Nora Archibald Smith and the editors of the Outlook for The Haughty Aspen; and the editors of Good Housekeeping Magazine, Little, Brown & Company and Mrs. Velma Swanston Howard for her translation of The Legend of the Christmas Rose, by Selma Lagerlöf, taken from Good Housekeeping Magazine , copyright, 1907. Copyright, 1910, by Little, Brown & Company.