“It was thus we turned back reminiscently, as homeless men are want to do sometimes, recalling the outstanding Christmas days with each of us when the street door opened suddenly and Todd Witherspoon blew in.”
The Candle In The Window by Margret Hill McCarter is a delightful little Christmas tale set in the Smoky Mountains. Told from the perspective of a rural mail carrier who is spinning a tale for his pals about the best Christmas he had ever known, our story brings us to December of 1917. Tod Witherspoon befriends a little lad named Tully, who trudges along Tod’s mail route each day on his way to school. Tod and Tully quickly become fast friends, despite their differences in age. Tod imparts wisdom to Tully, and Tully instructs Tod in the art of imagination, which he calls “p’like-ing”. Tully’s greatest sorrow is that his teacher, Miss Ravenstow, never smiles. Though she cares deeply for her pupils, joy is lacking from her heart. With the help of his dear friend, Mr. Todd, Tully sets out to, in the words of my small brother, “joy her up”.
“Tod is only a rural mail carrier, yet nobody in the lobby that night could equal him when it came to telling a story in his own simple way… But nobody could ever quite forecast Tod Witherspoon any more than they could reproduce his quaint humor, and his appealing sympathy. What I am telling you is only a poor imitation of the real Tod as he told us of the best Christmas he had ever known.”
Behind Miss Ravenstow’s stony exterior, Tully see’s a warm heart, one that is starving for something. So he endeavors to fill her heart with a child’s love. What Tully, Tod, and Miss Ravenstow discovered on that Christmas so many years ago will warm your heart. Though the tale is simple and short, it makes a wonderful read a loud, or something to simply ponder in your heart. I can also heartily recommend the dramatic audio recording of The Candle In The Window by Lamplighter Theater to accompany the book. Together they are something I read and listen to year after year during the Christmas season!
Moral Value: 5
Artistic Value: 4.5
Overall Value: 4.75
Leave a comment