The Gift of the Manger by Maud Van Buren

Name: The Gift of the Manger
Author: Maud Van Buren

“The Gift of the Manger” follows Christine and her husband Norwood as they attempt to reach Norwood’s parents’ farm on Christmas Eve. Christine has endured ten months since the death of her little son, Teddy, with unusual composure, but when Norwood’s medical duties cause them to miss their train, she finally breaks down. She cannot remain in the home filled with memories of Teddy, especially at Christmas. Determined to ease her grief, Norwood proposes driving the sixty miles to the farm in his large motorcar. They set out with their Christmas parcels, but a sudden snowstorm worsens as darkness falls. Christine treats the dangerous journey as an adventure, while Norwood grows increasingly worried: the steep roads are unfamiliar, the snow hides the landmarks, and the car begins to struggle. Believing they see a house, they stop to ask directions, only to discover a barn beside the still-warm ruins of a recently burned home. Christine enters the barn with a small flash-light and finds a crying baby lying alone in a manger. The sight evokes the Christmas story and awakens in her the overwhelming feeling that she has recovered something that was her own. An old Italian man then appears and explains the tragedy. Maria and Stefano, the baby’s parents, lived in the house. Stefano had been bedridden for months. While the old man was away in River, the house caught fire. Maria carried her baby to safety in the barn’s manger, then ran back into the burning house to save Stefano. Both parents were killed when the house collapsed. The old man is not related to them; he had only been staying to help while Stefano was ill. Norwood takes the old man, Christine, and the baby to Squire Norwood’s home. There, Norwood’s father confirms that Maria and Stefano had no family. As selectman, he can make certain of the child’s situation, and Norwood asks whether he and Christine may have the baby. The question is met with understanding and approval. At midnight, after the family has discussed the disaster, prepared for Christmas morning, and welcomed the rescued child, Norwood finds Christine beside the old cradle that had once been his. The baby sleeps within it. Christine says, “It is Christmas,” and the child smiles, completing the sense that the baby found in the manger has become a miraculous Christmas gift after her long grief.

By Maud Van Buren · First published 1927 · Genre: Christmas Fiction, Domestic Romance, Sentimental Fiction · 5,215 words

First lines

_Edith Barnard Delano_

Christine's frail body bent slightly forward to meet the force of the / gale. She kept her face lowered, shielded by her muff; yet now and / again she raised it for an instant to glance upward at Norwood, with a / bright flash of the eyes and a gleam of teeth. Invariably he met the / look and warmed to it as to a flame, smiled back, or shook his head. To / speak in the face of such a gale was all but impossible, yet once or / twice she bent close enough to call in her sweet, high tones, "I love / it! I adore it! "[5]

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The Gift of the Manger 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, Domestic Romance, Sentimental Fiction, Drama, Inspirational Fiction
Length: 5,215 words
Structure: 1 section, 89 paragraphs
Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

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Work identity for The Gift of the Manger by Maud Van Buren
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Genres

Christmas Fiction — The story is set on Christmas Eve and centers on Christmas themes including nativity symbolism, the miraculous gift metaphor, seasonal miracles, and the redemptive power of the holiday.
Domestic Romance — The emotional core involves the romantic relationship between Christine and Norwood, their emotional intimacy, and their journey through shared adversity as husband and wife.
Sentimental Fiction — The narrative deliberately evokes emotional responses through Christine's grief, her maternal longing, the tragic fire and deaths, and the tearful resolution designed to move readers emotionally.
Drama — Features intense emotional conflicts, tragic events including the deaths of Maria and Stefano in the fire, and dramatic reversals that drive the narrative forward.