Shepherds, Grandmothers, and Ice Skates. Christmas Stories from around the world. Today on the

Classic Tales podcast. Welcome to the Classic Tales podcast. Thank you for listening.

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Lifetime passes are still 60% off until the end of the month. The following four stories were collected in the volume

Christmas Stories and Legends, compiled by Phoebe A. Curtis. The stories were chosen based on their

merit for teaching moral lessons primarily to children.

And now, Christmas Around the World by various authors.

Little Gretchen and the Wooden Shoe by Elizabeth Harrison.

Once upon a time, a long time ago, far away across the great ocean, in a country called Germany,

there could be seen a small log hut on the edge of a great forest, whose fir trees extended for miles and miles to the

north. This little house, made of heavy-hewn logs, had but one room in it. A rough pine door gave

entrance to this room, and a small square window admitted the light. At the back of the house

was built an old-fashioned stone chimney, out of which in winter curled a thin blue smoke,

showing that there was not very much fire within. Small as the house was, it was large enough for two people who lived in it.

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