Photo: aif.ru
It was a long time ago—in the olden days. I can hardly believe it, but, nevertheless, it really did happen.
At that time, Grandfather Frost was idly wandering around Holy Russia.1 He was such a mischievous old man—now he would freeze off someone’s nose, now someone’s ear, for no reason at all. And he taught his granddaughter, Snow Maiden (Snegurochka), to behave outrageously as well.
And one fine day they got tired of walking endlessly through dense forests and empty fields, getting angry and teasing each other. So they decided to see how people lived in warmth and comfort. And it was Christmas Eve at that time.
They came up to a window of one log hut and looked inside. Grandfather Frost breathed, Snow Maiden breathed too—and the window froze! There were a brother and a sister in the hut—Ivanushka and Mashenka.2 They ran up to the window from the inside and started breathing on it too! The boy breathed, the girl breathed, rubbing their fingers on the window—and the glass thawed out in small circles! Grandfather Frost got enraged and set about blowing and whistling at the window more strongly than before. But Ivanushka and Mashenka breathed on the glass from the inside again—and it thawed out again!
“Ah, you dare measure your strength with me and compete with Snow Maiden!” Grandfather Frost shouted. And he began to “paint” all sorts of patterns on the window so vigorously that the glass started creaking! But the children didn’t care a straw; they were laughing and rejoicing. They breathed on the window again—and it thawed out. Then they pressed themselves against the window and looked out into the street.
Grandfather Frost was surprised, and asked them:
“Why are you playing games with me and looking out into the street? Do you see your father on the edge of the village, or did your mother go to the river for water?”
The children responded to him:
“Didn’t you hear, Grandpa, that on 
A Miracle on Christmas EveWhen Christmas Eve comes, how we wish for a miracle! And miracles really do happen. These two stories were found for us by Maria Saradzhishvili on the pages of a Georgian periodical. They are not only miraculous examples of God’s Providence in life, but portray the hearts of people filled with great nobility, self-sacrifice, and love. And of course, faith in God.
“>Christmas Eve, with the first star, the Most Holy Mother of God Herself with the Christ Child walks across Holy Russia and enters every house where She is awaited? We want to be the first to see and meet Her!”
Grandfather Frost had never heard of such a miracle before. He scratched his head and said:
“How are you going to greet the Baby Jesus Christ and His Most Pure Mother?”
Ivanushka and Mashenka answered him:
“With salted mushrooms and sweet pies, spring water and holy prayer! And in the olden days They were greeted with palm branches and treated to figs. But where can we find them here amid the white snow and biting winds?”
Grandfather Frost and Snow Maiden exchanged glances and became pensive. Next they went outside the village, sat down under a fir tree and grew sad. They felt sorry for the children and were ashamed of themselves. They were wasting their time away on Christmas Eve, making a nuisance of themselves, while the children were going to do a holy thing.
Meanwhile, the evening fell… Lo and behold, the first star started twinkling in the skies! And the Mother of God Herself with the Christ Child were heading along the road to the village!
Grandfather Frost looked around, wondering where he could get a palm tree. But he realized that it could not be found in these parts. Then he broke off the spreading twig from the wide branches of the fir tree they were sitting under. What beauty! “Is it any worse than a palm tree?”
Snow Maiden helped him zealously. They got so carried away that they broke off not just a branch, but the whole fir! After that they both ran towards the hut where the brother and the sister lived.
Grandfather Frost and his granddaughter knocked on the door politely. And when it opened, they bowed to the hosts from the waist:
“Hurry up, children. Wave the fir quickly or the Queen of Heaven may pass you by! And we will rejoice together with you. After all, who in the world wouldn’t be happy to welcome the Infant Christ?”
No sooner had he finished speaking than the Mother of God Herself with the Christ Child appeared on the threshold:
“I’ve known these children for a long time,” the Queen of Heaven said. “They always obey their parents and pray to My Son every day. So I decided to visit them first.”
The Most Holy Virgin touched the fir with Her golden staff—and the first star flew down to its top from the skies! The Mother of God touched it once more—and multicolored candles lit up on the fir! She touched the fir with Her staff for the third time—and sweets and gingerbread appeared on its delicate twigs!
The whole hut was filled with ineffable joy! Everybody immediately began to sing and dance around the fir. And the Mother of God said:
“This is how My Son’s Birthday will be celebrated henceforth in Russia for all ages.”
And She Went on all over the world.
And here, in Holy Russia, it has been like that ever since: In the holy corner of every house, which is on the eastern side, there is an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos with the Christ Child; there is an elegant festive Christmas fir tree under the icon; and under the Christmas fir there stands a kind, kind Grandfather Frost with his little granddaughter, Snow Maiden.
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