Chapter 1: The Best Christmas Present in the World
Chapter Summary
The story begins with the narrator buying a cheap, old roll-top desk from a junk shop in Bridport. He starts to repair it on Christmas Eve and discovers a secret drawer. Inside, he finds a small tin box containing a letter written by an English soldier, Captain Jim Macpherson, to his wife, Connie. The letter, dated December 26, 1914, describes a remarkable event that took place on the battlefield in Fritz during World War I.
On Christmas morning, the British and German soldiers suddenly stopped fighting. They emerged from their trenches, shared greetings, food, and drinks, and even played a game of football. This spontaneous moment of peace and shared humanity in the midst of war deeply moved Captain Macpherson. He promised Connie in the letter that the war would end soon and they would be together by the next Christmas.
The narrator feels compelled to deliver this letter to Connie. He travels to her address in Bridport, only to find her house burnt down. A neighbour informs him that Mrs. Macpherson, now 101 years old, is in a nursing home. The narrator goes to the nursing home and finds Connie. She mistakes him for her long-awaited husband, Jim. For her, the narrator's visit and the return of the letter is the "best Christmas present in the world." The narrator leaves without correcting her, allowing her to cherish her moment of happiness.
Questions and Answers
Comprehension Check (Page 10)
1. What did the author find in a junk shop?
Answer: The author found a very old nineteenth-century roll-top desk in a junk shop. It was made of oak and was in a very bad condition, with one leg clumsily mended and scorch marks down one side.
2. What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had put it in there?
Answer: In a secret drawer of the desk, the author found a small black tin box. Inside the box was an envelope containing a letter. I think Mrs. Connie Macpherson had put it in there, as the letter was addressed to her and the box contained her husband's last letter.
Comprehension Check (Page 14)
1. Who had written the letter, to whom, and when?
Answer: The letter was written by Captain Jim Macpherson, a British army officer, to his wife, Connie Macpherson. It was written on December 26, 1914.
2. Why was the letter written — what was the wonderful thing that had happened?
Answer: The letter was written to describe a wonderful and unexpected event that happened on Christmas Day during the war. The British and German soldiers stopped fighting and celebrated Christmas together in no man's land, sharing food, drinks, and playing a game of football. It was a moment of peace and humanity amidst war.
3. What jobs did Hans Wolf and Jim Macpherson have when they were not soldiers?
Answer: When they were not soldiers, Hans Wolf, the German officer, played the cello in an orchestra in Düsseldorf. Jim Macpherson was a school teacher from Dorset, in the west of England.
4. Had Hans Wolf ever been to Dorset? Why did he say he knew it?
Answer: No, Hans Wolf had never been to Dorset. He said he knew about it because he had learned all about England from school and from reading English books, particularly Thomas Hardy's novel, "Far from the Madding Crowd."
5. Do you think Jim Macpherson came back from the war? How do you know this?
Answer: No, it is most likely that Jim Macpherson did not come back from the war. We know this because his wife, Connie, had carefully preserved his last letter for so many years. Also, when the narrator visits her in the nursing home, she is very old and still waiting for him, and she mistakes the narrator for her husband Jim.
Comprehension Check (Page 15)
1. Why did the author go to Bridport?
Answer: The author went to Bridport to find Mrs. Connie Macpherson and deliver her husband's letter to her. The address on the envelope was "12 Copper Beeches, Bridport, Dorset."
2. How old was Mrs Macpherson now? Where was she?
Answer: Mrs. Macpherson was now 101 years old. She was in a nursing home called Burlington House, on the Dorchester road.
Comprehension Check (Page 16)
1. Who did Connie Macpherson think her visitor was?
Answer: Connie Macpherson thought her visitor was her husband, Jim Macpherson, who she believed had returned as promised on Christmas.
2. Which sentence in the text shows that the visitor did not try to hide his identity?
Answer: The sentence is: “I explained about the desk, about how I had found it, but I don’t think she was listening.” This shows that the visitor tried to tell her the truth about who he was, but she was too lost in her own thoughts to understand.
Working with the Text
1. For how long do you think Connie had kept Jim’s letter? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer: Connie had kept Jim's letter for a very long time, likely from the time she received it in early 1915 until the narrator found it. The letter was dated December 26, 1914, and the narrator finds it many decades later. She told the narrator that she read it "quite often every day" so she could feel Jim was near her. This shows how precious the letter was to her and why she would have kept it safe for so many years.
2. Why do you think the desk had been sold, and when?
Answer: I think the desk had been sold after Connie's house caught fire. The desk was damaged by fire and water ("scorch marks all down one side"). When Connie was moved to a nursing home, her belongings must have been sold off by her relatives or neighbours, and the damaged desk ended up in the junk shop.
3. Why do Jim and Hans think that games or sports are good ways of resolving conflicts? Do you agree?
Answer: Jim and Hans think that games or sports are good ways of resolving conflicts because nobody dies in a game. No children are orphaned, and no wives become widows. They believe wars are tragic and destructive, while a game, like football, ends without death or hatred, and its outcome is decided fairly. I agree with them. While it might not solve complex political issues, resolving conflicts through peaceful means like sports is far better than the death and destruction caused by war.
4. Do you think the soldiers of the two armies are like each other, or different from each other? Find evidence from the story to support your answer.
Answer: The soldiers of the two armies are very much like each other. The story provides plenty of evidence for this. Both armies share a common desire for peace and a longing to return home to their families. They celebrate Christmas together, share their food (sausage and schnapps from the Germans, rum and cake from the British), sing carols, and play football. Hans Wolf and Jim Macpherson discuss their civilian lives, their families, and their love for books, showing they have similar values and experiences despite being on opposite sides of the war.
5. Mention the various ways in which the British and the German soldiers become friends and find things in common at Christmas.
Answer: The British and the German soldiers become friends in several ways:
- They start by wishing each other "Happy Christmas."
- They emerge from their trenches and meet peacefully in no man's land.
- They share their food and drinks with each other.
- They talk and laugh together. Hans Wolf and Jim Macpherson share details about their families and civilian lives.
- They play a game of football together.
- They sing Christmas carols together in the evening.
6. What is Connie’s Christmas present? Why is it “the best Christmas present in the world”?
Answer: Connie's Christmas present is the return of her husband's last letter and the visit from the narrator, whom she mistakes for her husband, Jim. It is "the best Christmas present in the world" for her because she has been waiting for Jim to return for decades, as he promised in his letter. In her old age and confused state of mind, the narrator's visit fulfils her deepest wish. She finally feels that her beloved husband has come home for Christmas, making her immensely happy and peaceful.
7. Do you think the title of this story is suitable for it? Can you think of any other title(s)?
Answer: Yes, I think the title "The Best Christmas Present in the World" is very suitable for the story. It refers to the happiness Connie Macpherson feels at the end of the story. While the Christmas truce was a wonderful event, the true focus of the story is the emotional impact of the letter's return on Connie. For her, the feeling that her husband has returned is the ultimate gift.
Other possible titles could be: "A Christmas Truce," "Jim's Last Letter," or "The Promise." However, the current title best captures the story's emotional core.
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