Ari’s Gift – Read and Print

By Rachel Dunstan Muller, copyright 2019

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Once upon a time, a long time ago, in a little village called Bethlehem, a father came home to his family with the most amazing news. “A king has been born in our village. Imagine – right here in Bethlehem! Our neighbours are on their way to welcome him. We must welcome him too, with gifts fit for a king!”

Now, this father had seven children – one, two, three, four, five, six, seven – five daughters and two sons. Imagine!

The first daughter said: “I have a pretty voice; I will sing for the new king. That will be my gift to him.”

The second daughter said: “Everyone says I’m as graceful as a willow tree; I will dance for the new king. That will be my gift to him.”

The third daughter said: “I know how to spin wool into the finest yarn. I will weave a soft blanket for the new king. That will be my gift to him.”

The fourth daughter said: “I can mix flour and oil and sweet honey; I will bake a cake for the new king. That will be my gift to him.”

The fifth daughter said: “I’m good at carving things. I will make a wooden bowl and spoon for the new king. That will be my gift to him.”

The first son said: “I make beautiful music on my flute. I will play for the new king. That will be my gift to him.”

But the second and youngest son – who’s name was Ari – didn’t have any special talents. He wasn’t good at singing or dancing. He couldn’t spin wool, or bake cakes, or carve wood, or play an instrument. But he did have a little box where he kept his special treasures. He had smooth stones from the river. He had an empty birds’ nest and pretty feathers. He had bits of soft wool and a handful of acorns.

Hmm – which treasure to bring the new king? Ari looked in his box, and then he chose the biggest acorn in his collection – his very favorite of all his treasures.

The next morning the family set out to see the infant king – who was staying in a stable of all places!

“What did you bring, Ari?” one of his sisters asked.  

Ari opened his fist and proudly showed his sister the acorn.

But his sister laughed. “An acorn! What’s a king supposed to do with that?”

Ari closed his hand again, feeling foolish. What had he been thinking? An acorn wasn’t a treasure. It wasn’t a gift for a king. But it was too late to go back and choose something else.

They reached the stable and saw the baby, lying in his mother’s arms. Ari stayed near the doorway as his sisters and brothers took turns presenting their special gifts: a song, a dance, a cake, a blanket, a wooden bowl and spoon. His brother and sisters looked so happy and so proud as the baby’s mother accepted each of their gifts with a grateful smile. And the baby – the baby looked so radiant, so peaceful, that Ari stepped forward to get a closer look.

The baby’s mother smiled kindly. “And do you have something you want to give my son?”

Ari’s cheeks turned red. All he had was the acorn clenched in his fist. But the woman’s smile was so welcoming, that Ari couldn’t help but come closer.

“It’s not a treasure,” said Ari, “but it’s all I’ve got.” And he held up the acorn.

Just then the baby stretched out his arm, as if he were reaching for his gift.

The mother nodded and Ari put the acorn in the baby’s tiny hand.

In that moment, something wondrous happened. As Ari was still touching the baby’s hand, he saw something. He was still awake, but it was as if he was dreaming. In this dream, he saw the acorn planted in the earth. Roots pushed out from the bottom and a stem pushed up from the top as the acorn sprouted into a tiny sapling, a little baby tree, with leaves unfurling in the sun. As Ari watched in his mind, the tiny sapling grew and grew and grew until it wasn’t a sapling any more; it was an immense oak tree with branches spreading in every direction. Ari saw birds nesting, children climbing, old women and men resting in its shade. It was the biggest, most beautiful tree Ari had ever seen.

He blinked, and just like that the dream was gone. He was back in the stable with the little baby and the baby’s mother, and his brother and sisters.

The mother smiled, and Ari smiled back. He wasn’t embarrassed by his gift anymore. He saw that the little acorn was a treasure after all, a treasure fit for a newborn king.

And so it is with any gifts that we give from our hearts – whether we give them at Christmastime or any other time of the year.

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