A Christmas for Tony by Maud Van Buren

Name: A Christmas for Tony
Author: Maud Van Buren

Little Anthony, called Tony, has spent almost a year bedridden after a fall injured his back. He lives with his widowed mother, whom he calls Mother Margaret, in a bare, shabby room across a court from a richer apartment. From his window he watches the “Window Across,” where he sees a little girl he calls the Dear Child, her maid, and signs of a Christmas he can only imagine. Mother Margaret supports them by making paper roses for a factory and has almost no money beyond an apple, an orange, and a modest extra for Christmas dinner. She painfully explains that she cannot give Tony a real Christmas, though he bravely says that seeing the snow and the holly wreath across the court is almost like having them himself. At the factory, another worker suggests decorating with the paper flowers. Mother Margaret hopes to borrow some of her materials long enough to transform their room, but then discovers that she needs every remaining sheet of tissue paper to complete her order. At the library, she borrows a large picture book for Tony and a work about clay modeling, knowing he longs to work with clay despite never having owned any. The librarian also gives her a colored bird poster and a sprig of holly. Returning home, Mother Margaret and Tony see the neighboring family’s Christmas tree waiting on the fire-escape. They imagine its star, ornaments, candies, and, especially, a box of clay beneath it. Desperate to give Tony something wonderful, Mother Margaret visits the apartment across the court and boldly asks to borrow the tree for one day. The mistress is moved by her request, and the librarian turns out to be her daughter. They understand that Mother Margaret does not want another tree as charity; she wants to borrow this one so that Tony can have the experience of seeing a trimmed Christmas tree. The Dear Child, who knows Tony as “that little bit o’ boy” who “lives in the bed,” sends him a kiss. The next evening, the maid secretly brings not merely the bare tree but a fully decorated one, covered with popcorn, tinsel, and ornaments. Mother Margaret works through the night completing her roses and decorating Tony’s bed with paper roses. She places the tree beside him, hangs his stocking with the apple and orange, opens the library books to colorful pictures, puts up the bird chart and holly, and makes a small tissue-paper wreath. When Tony wakes, Mother Margaret tells him it is Christmas, though it is actually Christmas Eve. He sees the tree for the first time and is overwhelmed with happiness. He examines the ornaments, hears the Christmas story from the picture book, and feels that the birth of Jesus and the Star in the East are happening “to-day.” He delights in believing that every little boy has a tree at that very moment, including him. Later, as the borrowed tree must be returned, the neighbor, librarian, maid, and Dear Child come to visit. The Dear Child brings Tony the clay and modeling tools he has longed for. While he is absorbed in the gift, the tree is quietly removed. Tony goes to sleep wishing Christmas could remain because he loves how it feels. On the actual Christmas morning, Mother Margaret wakes him and confesses that the day before was not really Christmas; she had called it Christmas so he could enjoy the tree. Tony is briefly hurt, fearing he dreamed it, but then realizes that Christmas has come again. He joyfully understands that “it wasn’t just the tree that made us happy.” Mother and son recognize that Christmas is a spirit, present even in their empty room, and Tony hopes they may find that feeling every day.

By Maud Van Buren · First published 1927 · Genre: Christmas Fiction, Children's Literature, Sentimental Fiction · 7,594 words

First lines

_Zona Gale_

Little Anthony punched his small, hard pillow, to make it as large / as possible, so that his head would come well above the level of the / window sill. Wonderful, thick, Christmas-looking snow was falling, / though it wanted two days yet to Christmas.[25]

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A Christmas for Tony is listed on Textopian as a short story by Maud Van Buren, dated 1927 CE.

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Work type: Short story
Author: Maud Van Buren
Date: 1927 CE
Language: English
Genres: Christmas Fiction, Children's Literature, Sentimental Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Family Drama
Length: 7,594 words
Structure: 1 section, 172 paragraphs
Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

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Similar titles

Genres

Christmas Fiction — The plot is centered on Christmas preparations, a child's first decorated tree, Christmas Eve, Christmas morning, and the spiritual meaning of the holiday.
Children's Literature — The story is told through a child's desires, wonder, and emotional understanding, using accessible sentiment and a family-focused moral suitable for young readers.
Sentimental Fiction — Its style emphasizes tenderness, pathos, domestic sacrifice, emotional revelation, and a reassuringly uplifting conclusion.
Domestic Fiction — Mother Margaret and Tony's intimate household life, poverty, caregiving, meals, work, and improvised celebration form the narrative's central concern.