Christmas folk tale of a little orphan boy’s gift from the heart.

[Luna Arjuna]

"Up on the housetop." llustration by unknown artist, published in Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore 1896),

McLoughlin Bros.

The Wooden Shoes of Little Wolff

Once upon a time, — so long ago that the world has forgotten the date, — in a city of the North of Europe, — the name of which is so hard to pronounce that no one remembers it, — there was a little boy, just seven years old, whose name was Wolff. He was an orphan and lived with his aunt, a hard-hearted, avaricious old woman, who never kissed him but once a year, on New Year’s Day; and who sighed with regret every time she gave him a bowlful of soup.

The poor little boy was so sweet-tempered that he loved the old woman in spite of her bad treatment, but he could not look without trembling at the wart, decorated with four gray hairs, which grew on the end of her nose.

As Wolff’s aunt was known to have a house of her own and a woolen stocking full of gold, she did not dare to send her nephew to the school for the poor. But she wrangled so that the schoolmaster of the rich boys’ school was forced to lower his price and admit little Wolff among his pupils. The bad schoolmaster was vexed to have a boy so meanly clad and who paid so little, and he punished little Wolff severely without cause, ridiculed him, and even incited against him his comrades, who were the sons of rich citizens. They made the orphan their drudge and mocked at him so much that the little boy was as miserable as the stones in the street, and hid himself away in corners to cry — when the Christmas season came.

On the Eve of the great Day the schoolmaster was to take all his pupils to the midnight mass, and then to conduct them home again to their parents’ houses.

Now as the winter was very severe, and a quantity of snow had fallen within the past few days, the boys came to the place of meeting warmly wrapped up, with fur-lined caps drawn down over their ears, padded jackets, gloves and knitted mittens, and good strong shoes with thick soles. Only little Wolff presented himself shivering in his thin everyday clothes, and wearing on his feet socks and wooden shoes.

His naughty comrades tried to annoy him in every possible way, but the orphan was so busy warming his hands by blowing on them, and was suffering so much from chilblains, that he paid no heed to the taunts of the others. Then the band of boys, marching two by two, started for the parish church.

It was comfortable inside the church, which was brilliant with lighted tapers. And the pupils, made lively by the gentle warmth, the sound of the organ, and the singing of the choir, began to chatter in low tones. They boasted of the midnight treats awaiting them at home. The son of the Mayor had seen, before leaving the house, a monstrous goose larded with truffles so that it looked like a black-spotted leopard. Another boy told of the fir tree waiting for him, on the branches of which hung oranges, sugar-plums, and punchinellos. Then they talked about what the Christ Child would bring them, or what he would leave in their shoes which they would certainly be careful to place before the fire when they went to bed. And the eyes of the little rogues, lively as a crowd of mice, sparkled with delight as they thought of the many gifts they would find on waking, — the pink bags of burnt almonds, the bonbons, lead soldiers standing in rows, menageries, and magnificent jumping-jacks, dressed in purple and gold.

Little Wolff, alas! knew well that his miserly old aunt would send him to bed without any supper; but as he had been good and industrious all the year, he trusted that the Christ Child would not forget him, so he meant that night to set his wooden shoes on the hearth.

The midnight mass was ended. The worshipers hurried away, anxious to enjoy the treats awaiting them in their homes. The band of pupils, two by two, following the schoolmaster, passed out of the church.

Now, under the porch, seated on a stone bench, in the shadow of an arched niche, was a child asleep, — a little child dressed in a white garment and with bare feet exposed to the cold. He was not a beggar, for his dress was clean and new, and — beside him upon the ground, tied in a cloth, were the tools of a carpenter’s apprentice.

Under the light of the stars, his face, with its closed eyes, shone with an expression of divine sweetness, and his soft, curling blond hair seemed to form an aureole of light about his forehead. But his tender feet, blue with the cold on this cruel night of December, were pitiful to see!

The pupils so warmly clad and shod, passed with indifference before the unknown child. Some, the sons of the greatest men in the city, cast looks of scorn on the barefooted one. But little Wolff, coming last out of the church, stopped deeply moved before the beautiful, sleeping child.

“Alas!” said the orphan to himself, “how dreadful! This poor little one goes without stockings in weather so cold! And, what is worse, he has no shoe to leave beside him while he sleeps, so that the Christ Child may place something in it to comfort him in all his misery.”

And carried away by his tender heart, little Wolff drew off the wooden shoe from his right foot, placed it before the sleeping child; and as best as he was able, now hopping, now limping, and wetting his sock in the snow, he returned to his aunt.

“You good-for-nothing!” cried the old woman, full of rage as she saw that one of his shoes was gone. “What have you done with your shoe, little beggar?”

Little Wolff did not know how to lie, and, though shivering with terror as he saw the gray hairs on the end of her nose stand upright, he tried, stammering, to tell his adventure.

But the old miser burst into frightful laughter. “Ah! the sweet young master takes off his shoe for a beggar! Ah! master spoils a pair of shoes for a barefoot! This is something new, indeed! Ah! well, since things are so, I will place the shoe that is left in the fireplace, and to-night the Christ Child will put in a rod to whip you when you wake. And to-morrow you shall have nothing to eat but water and dry bread, and we shall see if the next time you will give away your shoe to the first vagabond that comes along.”

And saying this the wicked woman gave him a box on each ear, and made him climb to his wretched room in the loft. There the heartbroken little one lay down in the darkness, and, drenching his pillow with tears, fell asleep.

But in the morning, when the old woman, awakened by the cold and shaken by her cough, descended to the kitchen, oh! wonder of wonders!

She saw the great fireplace filled with bright toys, magnificent boxes of sugar-plums, riches of all sorts, and in front of all this treasure, the wooden shoe which her nephew had given to the vagabond, standing beside the other shoe which she herself had placed there the night before, intending to put in it a handful of switches.

And as little Wolff, who had come running at the cries of his aunt, stood in speechless delight before all the splendid Christmas gifts, there came great shouts of laughter from the street.

The old woman and the little boy went out to learn what it was all about, and saw the gossips gathered around the public fountain. What could have happened? Oh, a most amusing and extraordinary thing! The children of all the rich men of the city, whose parents wished to surprise them with the most beautiful gifts, had found nothing but switches in their shoes!

Then the old woman and little Wolff remembered with alarm all the riches that were in their own fireplace, but just then they saw the pastor of the parish church arriving with his face full of perplexity.

Above the bench near the church door, in the very spot where the night before a child, dressed in white, with bare feet exposed to the great cold, had rested his sleeping head, the pastor had seen a golden circle wrought into the old stones. Then all the people knew that the beautiful, sleeping child, beside whom had lain the carpenter’s tools, was the Christ Child himself, and that he had rewarded the faith and charity of little Wolff.

François Coppée
December 4, 2017

[Luna Arjuna]

Little Wolff lives with his cruel aunt, who doesn’t give him the warm clothes and treats he deserves. The child is still generous, and gives his one meager possession to a homeless child on a cold Christmas night — when he wakes the next day, he sees his gift repaid. This Advanced tale can be read in 8 minutes.

Enjoy!

[Lothar Seifert]

Dear Luna,

thank you for this wonderful Christmas story.

I wish you a wonderful Christmas time. Stay healthy.

[Luna Arjuna]

Dear Lothar,

it's nice to have given you pleasure with this little fairy tale. In these sad times, a little warmth of the heart is very comforting. I wish you also good health and take care of yourself.

May you have a blessed 3rd Advent!

[Carmen Elsa Irarragorri-Wyland]

Beautiful, thanks for the share, Luna!

[Lothar Seifert]

Theodor Storm wrote the most beautiful poems for Christmas. Unfortunately I can't find it in English. A poem I tried to translate. But it's not correct translate.

Christmas Eve
I crossed the strange city worried
Thinking of the children I left at home.
It was Christmas; rushed through all the streets
The cheering of the children and the market brew.

And how the stream of people washed me away
A hoarse voice penetrated my ear;
"Buy, dear sir!" Holding a skinny hand
Offering me a poor toy for sale.

I jumped up, and by the lantern light
I saw a child's pale face;
Whose age and gender it might be
I didn't recognize it in the drifting past.

Only from the stone on which it sat
I still hear, with difficulty it seemed;
"Buy, dear sir!" the reputation without ceasing;
But no one has listened to him.

And me? - Was it bad luck, was it shame,
On the way to dealing with the beggar child?
Before my hand came to my purse
The little voice behind me disappeared in the wind.

But when I was finally alone with myself
The fear seized me in my heart
As if my child was sitting on that stone
And cried out for bread, while I fled.

Christmas Eve by Theodor Storm

Here the poem "Weihnachtsabend" is in German:

https://www.l-seifert.de/grusskarten-advent/grusskarten-advent.php

[Eva Libre]

I found this little poem by Theodor Storm :

Knecht Ruprecht - Santa's Helper

I came here from the forest
I tell you, it is a very holy night!
All over the tips of the firs
I saw bright flashes of golden light ...

[Eva Libre]

The poem is beautiful, Lothar! I read it in German on your website. And the translation is good too.

[Carmen Elsa Irarragorri-Wyland]

Oh, your translation is very good, and it is great that you also allowed us to see in its original language, Lothar!

And I loved also yours, Eva!

Without any doubt our Xmas spirit is alive and well, may Peace on Earth, finally reign!

[MARGARIDA MARIA MADRUGA]

The tale is very beautiful. A tender story.

[Lothar Seifert]

It is one of Theodor Storm's most beautiful Christmas poems.

Sorry, I can't translate it properly. 

From heaven to the deepest chasms

A mild star laughs down;

Fragrances rise from the fir forest

And breathe through the winter breezes

and the night becomes candlelight.

My heart is so frightened

This is the lovely Christmas season!

I hear church bells in the distance

Tempt me to be at home

In fairytale glory.

A pious spell holds me again

I have to stand adoring and astonished;

It sinks on my eyelids

A golden childhood dream come down,

I feel a miracle has happened.

Christmas carol by Theodor Storm

Here you can find the poem in German

 https://www.l-seifert.de/bilder-weihnachten/bilder-weihnachten.php

[Eva Libre]

Thank you Lothar, wonderful poem, also your translation, a little different, but also very soulful.

[Lothar Seifert]

Silent Night https://youtu.be/QVIMRBqYbnw

A wonderful Christmassong