christmas is one of the great days of obligation and observance in the church of which i am a priest; but it is much more than that, it is one of the great days of obligation and observance in the world. furthermore it is one of the evidences of the power of him whose birth we commemorate that its observation is not limited by conditions of race and creed. those who fail to see in him what we see nevertheless see something and even by imperfect visions are moved to joy. the world transmutes that joy into blessing, not merely by giving of its substance but of its soul because men perceive that it is for the soul's good and because they hope to receive its benefits although they well know that giving is far better than receiving, in the very words of him who gave us the greatest of all gifts—himself.

as a priest of the church, as a missionary in the far west, as the rector of large and important parishes i have been brought in touch with varied life. christmas in all its phases is familiar to me. the author of many books and stories as well as the preacher of many sermons, it is natural that christmas should have engaged a large part of my attention. out of the abundance of material which i have accumulated in the course of a long ministry and a longer life i have gathered here a sheaf of things i have written about christmas; personal adventures, stories suggested by the old yet ever-new theme; meditations, words of advice which i am old enough to be entitled to give; and last but not least good wishes and good will. i might even call this little volume a book of good will toward men. and so fit it not only for christmas but for all other seasons as well.

if it shall add to your joy in christmas, dear reader, and better still, if it shall move you to add to the joy of some one else at christmas-tide or in any other season, i shall be well repaid for my efforts and incidentally you will also be repaid for your purchase.

cyrus townsend brady.

the hemlocks, park hill,

yonkers, n.y.

1917