„Und siehe, wie er nun an der Stelle vorbeikam, wo er die kahlen Wurzelknollen eingepflanzt hatte, da sah er, daß üppige grüne Stengel daraus emporgesproßt waren, die schöne Blumen mit silberweißen Blüten trugen.“ (Zitat Seite 104)

Inhalt und Thema
Die bekannte Autorin und Nobelpreisträgerin öffnet dem Leser mit diesen zwölf Geschichten eine Welt der alten nordischen Sagen und Legenden rund um Weihnachten.
Es geht um das Bewahren der Traditionen ihrer Heimat für spätere Generationen, um Geborgenheit, Glaube, Mitgefühl, Religion, aber auch um Schuld und Sühne.
Schon in der ersten Geschichte, „Der Weihnachtsgast“, treffen wir Figuren aus ihrem Roman Gösta Berling wieder, eine andere Geschichte erklärt den Luciatag und die sehr poetische Geschichte „Die Legende von der Christrose“ handelt von einem besonderen Garten, der nur in der Weihnachtsnacht mitten im Wald zu sehen ist. Alle Geschichten haben einen christlich-religiösen Bezug.

Fazit
Eine Sammlung von besinnlichen Geschichten, die Ende des 19. und Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts entstanden sind und die sprachlich und inhaltlich diese Zeit für den Leser fühlbar und erlebbar machen. ( )

The little-girl narrator of this lovely Christmas tale from Sweden recalls how her grandmother, who died when she was five, used to tell her many stories. After the grandmother's death, which is depicted in both text and artwork, one of the few tales to remain whole and intact in her memory, was this story of Jesus' birth. Related by the grandmother, the story follows the travails of a man who goes in search of live coals to kindle a fire, with which he hopes to warm his wife and newborn child. He eventually comes upon miserly shepherd in the wilderness who, although he wants to deny the request, is so impressed by the fact that the man has not been hurt by his dogs or his spear, and has not in turn frightened his sheep, that he agrees. Curious as to what is going on with this mysterious stranger, who is not burned by the live coals, the shepherd follows him back to an isolated cave, where he sees the man with his wife and newborn child. Concerned for the babe, he gives a sheepskin to keep him warm, and in that one generous act, his eyes are opened, and he sees that the world around him is full of angels, singing the birth of this holy child...

Selma Lagerlöf, who in 1909 became the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, is perhaps best known today in the the English-speaking world for her children's novel, The Wonderful Adventures of Nils. The story of The Holy Night appears to be one of a number of legends she penned about Christ, and the season of Christmas-tide. Although there are really two stories here - that of the little girl and her grandmother, and that of the shepherd who learns to see - the narrative does not feel divided and there are insights to be gained from both strands. Translator Velam Swanston Howard has done a good job here - something I don't often say, when reviewing titles from Floris Books - and there were some lovely moments in the text. When the girls reflects, after her grandmother's death, that "I remember feeling that something was gone from our lives. The door to a beautiful enchanted world had been closed," one has a sensation of sympathy and fellow-feeling. The young may not always understand the meaning of loss, but they are able to feel it most keenly. When the grandmother asserts the truth of her tale, maintaining that "it is not revealed by the light of lamps or candles, or by the light of sun and moon, but what is needed is to have such eyes as can see God's glory," one feels that sense of revelation, of truths beyond the ordinary ones of the workaday world.

As should be apparent, I enjoyed the story here, finding it both powerful and poignant. I also enjoyed the illustrations by Ilon Wikland, which I found very appealing. I was struck by the scene in which the grandmother is shown in her casket, with mourners around her and two candles at her head. One so rarely sees such an overt depiction of death in children's books, and yet it is handled with a delicate touch, and feel appropriate. Recommended to anyone looking for more thought-provoking Christmas stories for the picture-book set. ( )