And I wander out of the walls
To out into the open field,
Bright shine, holy shiver!
How so wide and still the world!
Stars high the circles entwine,
Out of the snow's solitude
Rises like wondrous singing -
O thou gracious time!
(Joseph von Eichendorff)
All the years again
All the years again,
comes the Christ child.
Down to earth,
where we men are.
Sweep in with his blessing,
into every home.
Walk in every path,
in and out with us.
Stand by me also,
still and unseen,
that it may faithfully guide me,
by the dear hand.
(Folk song)
From the Christ Child
Think of it, I've seen the
Christ Child!
He came out of the wood,
his little cap full of snow,
with red-frozen little nose.
His little hands ached,
for he carried a sack,
it was so heavy,
dragging and rumbling behind him.
What was in it, wouldst thou know?
Their noses, their pack of rascals -
thinkest thou it were open the sack?
Tied up to the top!
Yet surely there was something nice in it!
It smelled so of apples and nuts!
(Anna Ritter)
Christmas season
O beautiful, glorious Christmas season!
What joy and merriment thou bringest!
When in every house
St. Christ distributes his dear gifts.
And though the little house be small,
The holy Christ comes in,
and all are dear to him as his own,
the poor and the rich, the great and the small.
The holy Christ thinketh of all,
each one is given by him.
Therefore let us rejoice and be thankful!
He thinketh also of ours, mine and thine!
(Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben)
The Star
Would one also almost have more sense<x>BR<Than the three wise men from the east<br /> And would have thought he had never
Journeyed after the little star as they did;
Yet now, when Christmas
Shines its blissful light,
Falls also on his understanding face,
He may know it or not,
A friendly ray
Of the wonder-star of yore.
(Wilhelm Busch)
The little Christmas tree
Once upon a time there was a little dance
with brown cake hearts
and glittering gold and apples fine
and many colored candles:
That was so green at Christmas
As if it just began to bloom.
But after not too long,
there stood in the garden below,
and all its glory
was, alas, gone.
the green needles were withered,
the little hearts and the little candles gone.
Till one day the gardener came,
the froze at home in the dark,
and took it into his oven -
Hey! Tats there sprang and sparkled!
And flamed rejoicing heavenward
In a hundred little flames to God's heart.
(Christian Morgenstern)
More Christmas Specials:
The Great Frankfurt-Tipp.de Christmas Special: Introduction and Origins
The Christmas tree and other Christmas symbols
Christmas greetings from around the world
Christmas traditions around the world I
Christmas traditions around the world II
