All night the rain beat against my chamber window, and in the morning the lower slopes of the mountain were white with new snow.  Dark clouds lay heavily on the Alpine peaks, the air was raw and chilly—­still it was Christmas.  I was aroused at daybreak by the chiming of village bells, and then a procession of choral singers went through the streets, pausing under the window of each house, and singing Christmas hymns.  As they passed on, the children caught up the refrain, and joining hands made the halls resound with their gleeful voices.  Before breakfast a huge bowl was passed around with a foaming drink, not unlike egg-nog in appearance, but differing in taste materially.  “May your Christmas be a merry one,” as it passed from lip to lip; “and a profitable one,” was always responded.

Church was open an hour earlier than on ordinary occasions, “so that the people may have ample time for dinner,” said the pastor.  Religion with these mountain worshippers was not a form.  The birthday of the blessed Redeemer was to them a reality.  They believed that he was born and that he died; and it was to commemorate his nativity that hymns were sung and garlands wound.  At an early hour they began to gather, and before the time of service the house was closely packed.  There were no chains of evergreen, but small fir-trees were occasionally placed.  These were covered with garlands and crowns of bright-hued flowers, giving a novel and striking appearance, as of some floral temple or mosque, set in a great pavilion.  The high pulpit was draped in white, and a voluminous white curtain covered the background.  The effect was charming.

And as the pastor began the service, the melody of his voice broke away into tenderness as he touched upon the love of God in giving his Son to be the propitiation for sin:  holding up the picture so vividly, and telling the simple story with a pathos and a power that little children even could not fail to see and to appreciate.  How much better than studied and elaborate essays, diving into metaphysics and technicalities so deeply that beauty is lost, and the mind diverted by the difficulty of following the intricate windings.

First did he impress his hearers with the fact that God loved the world, and through the fulness of that love the Son came down to suffer and to die:  secondly, that the natural heart is at enmity with God, not willing that God should rule.  Thus a change must be effected; a reconciliation made.  This could only be wrought by sacrifice; and Christ was offered once for all; his blood cleanseth from all sin.  A plain, simple statement, and it sunk into the hearts of his hearers with a power sure to tell upon their future lives.

After the blessing, each remained silently upon his knees for a few moments.  Then all was greeting and congratulation; all were friends; the idea never entered their heads that a stranger could be among them at that season.