General & Miscellaneous Religion, General Christianity, Fiction Subjects

The First Christmas Tree

Name: The First Christmas Tree
Author: Henry Van Dyke
ISBN: 9781617205149

by Henry Van Dyke

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Overview

2011 Reprint of 1917 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Henry Van Dyke was one of the most popular and enduring writers of the 20th century. His sermons, poems, and short stories were well-loved by children and adults alike. "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.