The Storybook Advent™ Calendar Singles
Thomas & the Christmas Orange
By Lewis Brech
Illustrations by Laura D. Lewis
Thomas & the Christmas Orange
By Lewis Brech
Illustrations by Laura D. Lewis
Smashwords Edition
This Story is from Storybook Advent Calendar:
ISBN #0-9671042-4-6 Digital Edition
ISBN #978-1-4524-7837-1 Smashwords Edition
ISBN #145-15957-5-1 Paperback Edition, FULL COLOR
EAN: #9781451595758 Paperback Edition, FULL COLOR
ISBN # 1453640975, Black & White Paperback Edition
EAN: #9781453640975, Black & White Paperback Edition
Storybook Advent Carols Collection Volume One CD, UPC# 885444307652
Storybook Advent Carols Collection Volume Two CD, UPC# 885444307737
Storybook Advent is the trademark of Lewis Brech and Couples Company, Inc.
Lewis Brech
Storybook Advent
4320 S. Centinela Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA. 90066
United States of America
(818) 528-5944
CustomerService@StoryBookAdvent.com
http://www.StoryBookAdvent.com
Produced in the United States of America & the United Kingdom
First Edition Published November 2008
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WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT
THE STORYBOOK ADVENT CALENDAR
And the Storybook Advent Carols Collections
“MY GRAND DAUGHTER LOVED THE STORIES AND I CAN’T STOP LISTENING TO THE CAROLS”
"I just love the concept and the execution. My grand daughter loved the stories and I can't stop listening to the carols. You deserve every success."
Cliff Lague, Spain
“WHY DIDN'T SOMEONE DO THIS BEFORE?”
“Storybook Advent Calendar makes me think ‘Why didn't someone do this before?’ It's uplifting, educational, and celebratory for adults and children. I especially like the entry for December 7, which explains the similarities and differences of Christianity, Judaism and Islam in a simple, profound and beautiful way.”
Tina B. Tessina, PhD, psychotherapist and author of Money, Sex and Kids: Stop Fighting about the Three Things That Can Ruin Your Marriage (Adams Media 2008).
“STUNNING, HEART-WARMING!”
"Stunning, heart-warming and thoroughly enjoyable! Thank you Lewis Brech for putting together this wonderful book!"
Rachel Anne, Los Angeles, California, USA
“I AM AWESTRUCK”
"I am awestruck with the book's warmth, its caring and loving sentiment, and totally enamored with the artwork!"
Jeri Friedman, Los Lunas, New Mexico
“THANK YOU FOR BRINGING ME BACK TO CHRISTMAS”
“The Storybook Advent Calendar reminds adults and teaches children the roots of the holiday. Stories flow with a wonderful mix of new and old. From classics like The Matchstick Girl to timeless treasures such as The Three Trees, this collection will promote important conversations between parents and children, including the addition of an original story teaching how the Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths relate to each other and have more in common than not.
Thank you for bringing me back to Christmas. It is possible to back away from the commercial tidal wave and rest in the peace that is the true meaning of the gift we have been given."
Aly Williams, Elementary School Teacher, Spokane, Washington, USA
by Laura D. Lewis
Welcome to the Storybook Advent Calendar™, a collection of bedtime stories, poems and prayers for children focusing on the basic Kingdom Principles. Non-denominational, the stories included cover a variety of Christmas inspired themes, both secular and non-secular with writers ranging from beloved classics by Charles Dickens and Hans Christian Andersen to seven original stories and adaptations created specially for this book.
Our greatest hope is that this book will bring hours of joy to you and your children, while stimulating curiosity about classic literature, music and the sister faiths sharing our origin. Christ came for all humanity; he was a gift to all, believer and non. As Christians, it is so important that we continue to walk in his footsteps, share the good news and seek understanding with all people, regardless of faith with whom we share this planet. How we behave is how the rest of the world sees Christians.
This book is a celebration of our faith and its meaning.
Merry Christmas and a Blessed, Safe and Peaceful New Year!
Lewis Brech
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THOMAS & THE CHRISTMAS ORANGE
By Lewis Brech
Adapted from the folktale 'A Christmas Orange' by Anon
Today, with refrigeration, trucks, airplanes and trains, the humble orange seems common, average and plain. But this was not always the case…
In times not that long past, an orange was a special treat from a faraway land. Exotic and sweet, it was treated preciously by all lucky enough to receive one.
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For his first fours years, Thomas lived in a ramshackle, rented cottage in 1820s England. Life was difficult and uncertain yet determined by class. The young boy witnessed his father bullied by the tyrannical landlord, beset to please, yet rarely achieved. At night he’d hear his mother cry, masked solely by creaking shakes and wind whispered cracks in clay. All seemed gray and bleak.
As 1824 came around the family’s lot seemed cast until one spring evening, Thomas’ father bound jubilantly through the door. “I have in my hand,” he proudly announced, holding in the air a scripted note, “three passages to America!”
Thomas’ mother, who was sewing, sat stunned and frozen like a statue, her mouth open, her needle stuck mid-stitch. Then she threw the sewing into the air and danced to her husband, hugging his neck. Thomas had never seen such behavior before and got quite carried away with it as he laughed and ran to hug his daddy’s knees.
The father placed on the table the meat he had brought back for their supper, the travel document and an orange-colored ball with dimpled skin. The object rolled slightly on the table, resting mid-center. Thomas’ eyes grew like saucers as he studied the strange, round ball with an enticing smell.
“What’s that, father?” he asked, poking it tentatively and hoping it was something he could play with.
“That, son, is an orange,” his father replied, easing into a chair at the table.
“Oh, America!” his mother interrupted as she reached in, plucked the document from the table, kissing them as she continued twirling around the room. “We’ll be safe there!” She hugged her husband and Thomas in turn, planting a big kiss on the young boy’s forehead before dancing off to retrieve her sewing.
“Yes. And we’ll be free,” said his father, quietly.
Thomas’ wide eyes turned up to his father.
“What’s free, father?” he asked.
“It means that landlord of ours can’t take our home or our crops. It means he can’t tell us what to do anymore. Free means you can grow up to be anything you want and do what you want,” his father explained.
“Can I feel free?” Thomas continued.
“Well, Thomas,” his father replied jovially. “I can’t tell you what freedom feels like, but I can show you what it tastes like.”
And with that he pressed his thumbnail into the orange ball and peeled off its skin. A new aroma burst from the fruit and Thomas watched in wonder as his father pulled apart the funny looking wedges, broke one off and passed it to him.
“This is an orange and it comes from the New World,” his father explained. “Taste it and you’ll taste freedom.”
The little boy bit into the fleshy segment and juice ran down his chin.
“Freedom tastes good, father,” the little boy giggled.
“Yes it does, son,” his father agreed. “Yes it does.”
“Oh, America!" his mother interrupted, "we’ll be safe there!” She hugged her husband and Thomas in turn, planting a big kiss on his forehead before dancing off to retrieve her sewing.
“And we’ll be free,” said his father, quietly.
The next day, Thomas’ father loaded up a wagon and the family made the day’s journey to Southampton and boarded their ship. Leaning on the rail, the family stood on the deck of a four-mast schooner and watched as their country slipped away. Ahead the sun set, turning the water to gold. Hugging his wife to his side and his big hand gripping Thomas’ with warmth and security, Thomas’ father whispered, “Just four more months,” he assured, “and we’ll be in America with our own land – and free!”
But that was not to be.
The passage over was rough and hard and disease spread throughout the tightly packed ship. Within a week, a hundred were dead. Among them, Thomas’ parents. The little boy suddenly found himself without a family, without a home and on a ship to a strange land where he knew no-one. Coming off the boat at Boston, the authorities placed him in an orphanage. At that time, children without parents were expected to work and Thomas soon found himself toiling away in the bowels of a textile mill, twelve hours a day and six days a week. Sunday gave him his only rest and he spent hours hidden in the sanctuary of the local church, warming his hands, listening to hymns and dreaming of his parents.
The only other day of the year the little boy didn’t have to work was Christmas. It was also the day he received a special treat. Each child at the orphanage, if he or she was good all year, was told to hang up a stocking in the dining room on Christmas Eve. The next morning they would find it contained an orange. For Thomas, this taste of freedom reminded him of his parents and the last time they were together on dry land. Each bite of its sweetness he savored, and he dreamed. He dreamed that one day he would be able to eat oranges all day. On that day he knew he would find heaven.
The seasons passed and the little boy grew. As he did, each year at Christmas he received an orange in his stocking. Each year until the year he turned ten.
That night of his tenth Christmas Eve, cold and tired, he noticed the wood for the fireplace had been used up. The little children in the dormitory shivered in the blackness and some cried from the cold. He decided to break the rules.
“Somewhere close by there must be wood,” he thought. “If I can only find some.”
Tip-toeing to the window of his second floor room, Thomas placed books as steps and hoisted himself upon the sill. He surveyed his escape; snow covered, the ground lay in an eerie whiteness whilst restless drifts raced like frantic ghosts, concealing the tempered stone beneath.
Gulping, Thomas noted the distance. It all seemed such a long way down. Lifting the window pane just enough, he crawled onto the narrow ledge. The wind raced around his small body, tickling his nose with flakes. Balancing proved a task and he shuddered, fearing he may fall. Turning back, he lowered the window to a narrow crack, just enough so he could get back in. Satisfied, the boy shuffled along the ledge. Shrouded in snow, his fingers tapped the drainpipe, nearly freezing to the shaft. Wet fingers on frozen metal act as glue; he remembered that. Drying his palms on his sweater, he swiftly shinned his way toward the ground, landing softly in the snow.
Once upon the ground, he searched and searched but found only twigs. Though they were wet from the snow, he bundled as many as he could, folding them into his shirt. His thin clothes were no protection from the bitter night and he was soon crying from the cold. His hands felt like icicles intertwined in frozen twigs.
Returning to the orphanage, he struggled back up the drainpipe and along the ledge. Reaching his window, he discovered it to be fully closed and locked. His absence had been discovered!
Caption: Caught climbing up the drainpipe, Thomas froze as he heard the nurse’s voice. “Oh my,” the little boy whispered. “Surely I am in trouble now.”
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“Oh my,” the little boy whispered. “Surely I am in trouble now.”
“Come down here this instant, young man!” a woman’s voice shouted from below. “You know it is forbidden to leave your room at night.”
With his heart in his mouth, Thomas made his way back to the drainpipe. His nerves made him slide back down a little too fast and he landed on his behind with a thud. The governess pinched his ear, dragged him up and marched him toward the front door.
“You’ve broken the rules, young man! For that you’ll have no Christmas Orange!” she shouted, turning him around to face her and shaking him by his shoulders. “When the others get up in the morning, you will stay where you are. Do you understand me!?!”
Nodding as he sniffled, attempting to hold back his tears, Thomas indicated he did.
With a disgruntled huff, the governess dragged him back to the dormitory, pushed him in and locked the door.
In the dark, the other children were too frightened to speak. Thomas lay down and cried. Dawn came and the rising bell rang. The children all jumped from their beds, dressed and left the room, all except Thomas.
In the halls outside he heard the frantic patter of children’s feet. Soon he heard giggles as each child reached the dining hall and discovered his stocking filled with a Christmas Orange. Their laughter left him all the sadder; for he wished to be with them, even if he didn’t get an orange.
In the dining hall, a little girl asked, “Where’s Thomas?”
“Thomas has been bad,” the governess sternly replied. “He doesn’t get Christmas this year.”
“You can’t take Christmas from him!” the little girl pleaded. “It’s not yours to give. Christmas is a gift from God.”
“Well, God doesn’t give him an orange and Santa Claus doesn’t stop here. Thomas doesn’t get an orange!” the governess snarled back. “Now go and sit down or you’ll lose your orange as well.”
With bowed head, the little girl shuffled to her chair, peeled her orange and separated the segments. Furtively, she hid one in her pocket.
“Why did you do that?” the boy next to her whispered.
“So I can give Thomas Christmas too,” she replied, softly.
“Then let me help,” the little boy added, peeling away a wedge and placing it in his pocket. The other children, watching, did the same.
“Right, children,” the governess said clapping her hands, “Time to go out and play.”
Sitting on his bed, Thomas heard the children leave the dining hall and make their way outside. The entire building became quiet. Thomas lay back on his bed and closed his eyes. A half-hour passed when he heard soft footsteps. Too light for an adult, they came down the hallway and stopped at his door. In the early morning light, he could see a shadow cast by two feet fall through the gap under the door. But the door did not open. Rising from his bed, he moved closer. Beneath the wood he saw small fingers pushing an orange wedge through the gap.
Caption: But the door did not open. Rising from his bed, he moved closer and saw small fingers pushing an orange wedge through the gap.
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“Merry Christmas, Thomas,” came the high, sweet voice of the little girl.
Down the hall a door banged and the tiny feet scampered away.
Thomas reached for the orange slice, wiped it quickly on his shirt and took a bite. The tangy sweetness melt into his mouth; he closed his eyes. He could almost feel his father’s hand and mother’s kiss. Another bite and he was sure they’d be there.
Tip-tap, tip-tap, more feet approached. Under the door another orange slice appeared, this time accompanied by a small boy’s voice. “Merry Christmas, Thomas,” the child whispered as he pushed it the rest of the way through and hurried off down the hall.
“Merry Christmas,” Thomas gasped.
One by one throughout the day as they could, the children sneaked to the dormitory, each pushing an orange wedge under the door to Thomas and wishing him a Merry Christmas.
Thomas marveled at the miracle each child brought. This simple fruit? Not much, dimpled and imperfect to the touch, yet fragrant and full of promise. Here he sat imprisoned, but his friends gifted him the taste freedom, the most delicious taste of all. Through their unselfish gift, each child endured. An orange they gave, they gave for sure.
Quaint thou it may be, orange in color and simple in shape, when shared with those you love, the simple orange transforms hearts to gold and can change each man’s fate.
Thomas mused as the sweet juice dripped from his chin, “Yes, this truly is the most heavenly Christmas.”
For through each wedge he gained not just friends, but brothers and sisters, indeed a family as well.
THE END
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Special thanks to Mom for making oranges part of Christmas since the day I was born.
LAURA D. LEWIS
Born in Rochester, New York, raised, baptized and confirmed in the Missouri Synod Lutheran church, Laura attended a private Catholic high school in South America and continues to pursue her faith from several angles. Artist, marketer, business owner and writer, she has spent the last ten years working on increasing understanding between Christianity, Islam and Judaism and reporting with a partner on Gaza Strip, Israel and Palestine. Laura has spent time living in Europe and the Middle East. She currently resides in Los Angeles, California.
MICHAEL BRECH
Born in Rochford, Essex – England and raised in the Anglican faith, Michael lived most of his life in Essex before moving to the Devon countryside. Composer, songwriter, lyricist, arranger, his early musical life centered upon playing in rock bands around Essex and London. He currently plays in a band and is touring Europe.
Michael has composed and staged musicals and recently completed composing the score for Sharpstick Productions’ Side by Side, a documentary film currently being shown in the UK about the peaceful cohabitation of Christian and Muslim Arabs and Israeli Jews in Neve Shalom and Haifa. Additionally, Michael recently completed several adventurous choral pieces based on Biblical verse as well as an evocative setting of the classic Parce Mihi, Domine for solo Countertenor and Choir, combining both Latin and English texts. In addition to co-writing and editing Storybook Advent Calendar, Michael arranged and performs all the music on The Storybook Advent Carols Collections Volumes One and Two.
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THE STORYBOOK ADVENT™ FAMILY
Storybook Advent Calendar, Music, Ringtones and Songbook
What would Advent be without Christmas carols? Music has always been an essential element of Christianity and one of the most beloved aspects of the holiday season.
Caption: Carols Collection Songbooks include all the lyrics to the 40 songs featured on our three albums. The songbooks are available in full color and black and white paperback or as ebooks.
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In addition to the Storybook Advent Calendar, we’ve created two Christmas music albums, several ringtones for your cell phone and a caroling songbook. Michael Brech's arrangement and performance captures the essence of each carol - whether it be joy or sadness, contemplation or open hallelujah. The arrangements are inventive and witty, from the trotting horse in Jingle Bells, the fife and drum of Patapan, the tears of the Coventry Carol to the mayhem of gifts in the Twelve Days of Christmas. His warm, inimitable style is a blend of classical, baroque and soft jazz, not easy to imagine but, once heard, never forgotten.
ABOUT THE CAROLS COLLECTION
With musician, composer, lyricist and performer Michael Brech
There is something about Christmas Carols that evokes a completely different feeling and emotion as opposed to other forms of music. They stir up waves of nostalgia and happiness whilst instilling a sense of peace and goodwill that comes with the season. In studies, it has been found that the Mozart Effect makes children more intelligent. Perhaps we should play Christmas Carols every day to make the world a better place?
When it came to arranging the carols, I wanted to play them in such a way that they could be used in a variety of settings: to be able to sing to them, to be able to sit down and listen to them or to have them as soft background music. So, they couldn’t be too busy, couldn’t be too simple and couldn’t be too intrusive. There was also the imagery to bring across, as many carols paint pictures in the mind. My experience in writing for film and stage paid off in this sense.
I needed to capture the essence of the carols, the message and meaning in each one, as well as consider variations on the tunes. Some have many verses, and to play a verse the same over and over may work well for singing but not necessarily make good listening. Creating variety within involves moving the tune through the octaves, the crossing of hands and other little tricks of playing. I was asked if I had double-tracked the recordings. No, they are all played straight.
My second challenge in recording this series was making each sound contemporary whilst keeping true to its origin - no easy task given the carols span seventeen centuries and a dozen cultures. I chose to stay within the core boundary of each carol’s style, be it Gregorian, Elizabethan or Victorian. However, I also spiced each up a little through the combining of soft jazz and other styles of playing to bring them up-to-date.
Recording forty carols is an exciting challenge. Trying to name forty carols is a feat in itself. For Volume 1, my partner in creating Storybook Advent, Laura D. Lewis, an American, played a large part in putting together the list since I wasn’t that aware of the carols that are popular in America. In fact, I had never heard her favourite, Oh Holy Night, so she got a copy of Pavarotti singing it and said, “Make the piano sound like that.”
We were both surprised by how different American Carols are played and which are favoured in comparison to the English and European traditional carols that prompted the creation of Volume 2 concentrating on English and European carols. Discovering carols from France, such as Patapan and Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella, was a delight, as well as finding a very overlooked English carol, Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning. In my opinion, this carol is every bit as beautiful as Oh Holy Night on Volume 1.
For the most part, both albums stay true to their continents. However, we did swap one: Away in A Manger. Both versions were composed by Americans and though the Murray composition is more popular in America, it is becoming widespread in England and I felt that it
introduced something just a little different to the ‘English’ version of the Storybook Advent Carols. Not only that, but also the Kirkpatrick version fits so perfectly on Volume 1 and delivers a touching, emotional moment.
I am certain you will enjoy these carols as much as I have enjoyed arranging and performing them, and that they will bring a gentle warmth to your Christmas. --Michael Brech
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Storybook Advent Carols Collections
Caption: Volume One features American Christmas Classics
Storybook Advent Carols Collection Volume One features classic Christmas Carols played in the American musical tradition, (how they are played in the US) and include all-time favorite carols Jingle Bells, Greensleeves, Oh Holy Night and seventeen others. The second half of this book includes the lyrics and story behind each of these songs as well as the country it came from, the year it was created and the people behind the music.
Caption: Volume Two features British and European Christmas Classics
Storybook Advent Carols Collection Volume Two features classic Christmas Carols played in the British musical tradition, (how they are played in Europe). Carols featured on this album include The Holy and the Ivy, The First Noel, In Dulci Jublio, and British versions of It Came Upon the Midnight Clear and others. Together you’ll gain 40 classic carols, all performed as piano solos that meld beautifully with your current collection.
Caption: Volume Three includes Carols from both collections
The Storybook Advent Caroling Songbook is available as a free download with the purchase of the albums (information on the interior of the cover) or it can be purchased separately in paperback. It’s also available in digital formats for iPad, Android, Nook, Blackberry, Zune, Kindle, Sony reader and other digital readers online through StorybookAdvent.com and most online booksellers.
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Merry Christmas!