Among the shepherds who watched their flocks on the first Christmas
night, was a little maiden, and when she saw the bright star in the
East, and the Wise Men on their way to Bethlehem, she followed them to
see whither they went. She saw these old men go down on bended knee
before the Babe lying in His manger cradle, and bring out rare and
beautiful gifts to lay before Him. Then the little maid’s heart yearned
towards the Babe, and she too longed to lay some offering before Him,
but she was poor and had neither gold nor silver with which to buy
gifts. So she turned sadly away, and went back to guard her sheep.
Suddenly she saw a bright light, and in the midst of the light an angel
stood, whose raiment shone like glittering snow, and whose face was so
fair and gentle that the little maid knew no fear.
[Illustration: A horizontal black and white line-art header banner
featuring a dense, repeating arrangement of blooming Christmas rose
hellebore flowers and dark, veined foliage.]
“The angel spoke, his voice was low and sweet
As the sea’s murmur on low-lying shore,
Or whisper of the wind in ripened wheat;”
and he asked the maiden why she looked so downcast. She told him of her
wish, and how she had nothing to give the Holy Child. Without a word,
the angel touched the ground with the branch of waving lilies he held in
his hand, and immediately the field was white with lovely flowers. The
little maid at once gathered many of them, and, running back to the
stable, laid them very near the Babe, who smiled at her and stretched
out His tiny hands to the flowers. Then the little shepherdess’s heart
was glad, and she returned this time to her flocks full of joy, and
thanking God that He had given her her heart’s desire. And the angel’s
flowers were the Christmas Roses.
[Illustration: A clean horizontal decorative footer banner composed of
an alternating repeating pattern of single hellebore flowers and
individual five-pointed leaves.]
[Illustration: Color illustration of Hermes with his caduceus and spear
standing in an enchanted forest, looking at a tree spirit surrounded by
floating silver spoons.]
[Illustration: Color illustration of an ornate golden spoon handle
shaped like the figure Ganymede, supporting a large blue spoon bowl that
contains a reflection of green trees.]