The story revolves around a young girl named Alice who wants to decorate a Christmas tree for the poor children living at a nearby hospital. She decides to take matters into her own hands and secretly decorates a small tree in her home, intending to move it to the hospital on Christmas Eve. However, her plan is thwarted when her uncle accidentally discovers the tree and decides to display it at a wealthy family's party instead. Alice is devastated but eventually finds a way to still bring joy to the hospitalized children by decorating multiple trees and distributing them among the city's poor institutions.
By Edward Everett Hale · First published 1884 · Genre: Fiction, Holiday, Children's Literature · 3 chapters