For over one hundred years, the writings of Henry Van Dyke have been lovingly passed down from generation to generation. His Christmas stories, especially, are as resonant today as when the Presbyterian minister first read them to his New York City congregation in the late 1890s. In this volume of Christmas stories and prayers, we read of courage, generosity, and the triumph of light over darkness, from "The First Christmas Tree," a magical tale of the Thunder Oak and the false god Thor, to the lyrical story of "The Christmas Angel in the Country beyond the Stars."