The Magic Christmas Gift by Maud Van Buren

Name: The Magic Christmas Gift
Author: Maud Van Buren

In late autumn, sisters Beatrice and Josephine eagerly dream of Christmas in their log-cabin home beside the railway. Though they have no money to travel to Marquette and buy presents, they especially wish to give their mother something special. Sitting atop the cedar gate posts from which they watch trains, they imagine gifts and finally joke that they may have to give their mother their usual promise to be good and helpful. When a passenger train approaches, Beatrice invents a “Christmas magic” game. Facing the train, the girls sing, “White magic, Christmas magic, / Send our mother a Christmas gift!” and “Gold magic, Christmas magic, / Send our mother a Christmas gift!” They soon forget the game and go to fetch the cows. On the day before Christmas, the postmaster takes the girls privately in his sleigh and reveals a large framed photograph. A lady on a passing train had seen the girls happily seated on their gate posts, taken a snapshot, enlarged and framed it, and sent it through the postmaster so the girls could give it to their mother. The sisters are astonished and grateful. On Christmas Eve, they present the picture to their mother. She weeps with joy, saying she has never had a photograph of any of her children and never expected one because they live so far from a photographer. She treasures the beautiful picture of their happy faces and praises the girls for always thinking of her. The next day, Beatrice and Josephine celebrate by singing that white and gold Christmas magic brought their mother a gift, while the pictured girls smile down upon the happy family.

By Maud Van Buren · First published 1927 · Genre: Children's Christmas Fiction, Holiday Fiction, Realistic Children's Fiction · 1,622 words

First lines

_Frances Margaret Fox_

It was late autumn in the north woods, and Beatrice and Josephine / were thinking about Christmas. They liked to think about Christmas: / they liked to talk about it and to sing Christmas songs and to play / Christmas games. Those two little girls had been known to play the game / of Santa Claus filling Christmas stockings on the Fourth of July; and / it was such fun they did not care who laughed.[1]

Open reader

What this Textopian page supports

The Magic Christmas Gift is listed on Textopian as a short story by Maud Van Buren, dated 1927 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

Work type: Short story
Author: Maud Van Buren
Date: 1927 CE
Language: English
Genres: Children's Christmas Fiction, Holiday Fiction, Realistic Children's Fiction, Family Fiction, Sentimental Fiction
Length: 1,622 words
Structure: 1 section, 31 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

Good citation fit

Work identity for The Magic Christmas Gift by Maud Van Buren
Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
Readability and classroom-planning context
Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph

Similar titles

Genres

Children's Christmas Fiction — The story centers on two young sisters, Christmas anticipation, gift-giving, family celebration, and a joyful Christmas Eve resolution in an accessible style for children.
Holiday Fiction — Its plot is explicitly structured around the days before Christmas and culminates in a meaningful Christmas gift that embodies the season's generosity and happiness.
Realistic Children's Fiction — Although the children call their wish 'magic,' the gift results from a plausible act of kindness by a train passenger who photographs and sends them a framed picture.
Family Fiction — The emotional core is the sisters' desire to honor their mother, while the conclusion celebrates affection, gratitude, and shared family joy.