THE CHRISTMAS PRESENT J.

Heinrich Arnold In a little village in the mountains, the people had the custom of giving a present to the whole village community each Christmas. These presents were meant for the Christ Child. For many weeks before Christmas, people considered what they should bring. Some brought clothing, others food. All these presents were then given to the poor of the village, for Jesus had said, I assure you that whatever you have done for the humblest of my brothers, you have done for me. Some people brought presents for the decoration of the community building. The shepherd had decided already in springtime which lamb would be his present. He looked after this lamb with special love and care until Christmas. Some gave sheeps wool as their present. The peasants gave grain or honey. The shoemaker made a pair of shoes. The black-smith made a special candlestick. The carpenter made a bench. The weaver wove a beautiful piece of cloth. The wise man who lived on the hill wrote a poem fitting for the great occasion. The violinist of the village practiced a special piece for Christmas Eve. The painter, who lived in a very little house down in the village, made a detailed picture of shepherds in the field. The grandmothers knitted warm socks for the children. Also the children each made a present. They drew pictures and made calendars and other things to bring as their gifts. One man in the village had nothing as a present, nothing at all. His name was Ithar and he was a gypsy. He was a strange man. He had wild eyes, and he was very strong, but he worked only when he was in need of food and shelter. Then he worked for the peasants. So he was very poorhe never possessed a nickel. His clothing was old and his shoes were in sad condition. The children feared this man. Since he looked so frightening, they always ran away when they saw him in the distance. No one loved him, because he was mostly quite unfriendly. He usually said very little and when he did say something, it sounded very hostile. Christmastime had come again, and Ithar saw all the people preparing their presents, but he had nothing to give. And Ithar was ashamed, because he had prepared nothing. It was late on Christmas Eve when Ithar passed the main building of the village. The door was still a little open. Only a small oil lamp gave a little light to the big community room. Ithar went into the house and prayed. Then he began walking around the room, and he saw that near the fireplace, the people of the village had made a crib scene with many

figures. He saw the shepherds in the field, the sheep, and the three kings. He saw that not only the kings brought presents, but even the shepherds brought little lambs to give to the Christ Child. Then Ithar said, Lord, I am very sad that I have prepared nothing to bring to you as a gift. He heard the answer in his heart: Ithar, Ithar, give me your heart. He said, How can I give you my heart? How shall I do it? Ithar wanted to give his heart more than anything else, but he did not know how that was possible. And again he heard a voice in his heart, Ithar, if your heart is filled with love, then you will know that you have given your heart to me! Ithar got up and left the building and went out into the night. Outside he met an old woman. She was staggering under a heavy load of wood. She, too, was poor, and she had a cold room at home and wanted to make it light and warm for Christmas Eve. Let me carry your wood, said Ithar. At first the old woman was afraid of Ithar, but when she looked into his eyes, she saw that they were full of goodness. Ithar carried the wood up the hill. When they came to her door, she said to him, May peace come into your heart this night. Ithar went a little further, and found a man by the roadside, almost frozen with cold. This man was one of the homeless people of this earth. Ithar carried him to his house, put him on his straw mattress, and shared his supper with him. The man was soon asleep, and Ithar lay on the floor. And then Ithar knew that he had given his heart to Jesus.