When you think about it, it's kind of curious that
British soldiers are popular Christmas ornaments.
It's surely because of Hans Christian Anderson's story The Steadfast Tin Soldier. This tale is so popular that there are a zillion versions of the book, as well as toys, music, dances, and plays.
Once upon a Christmas time, a boy received a box of tin soldiers.
They were cast from a spoon. There wasn't quite enough tin, so one soldier was missing a leg.
This disability made him stand out. He ended up being the boy's favorite. So maybe the point is that a disability can be an advantage.
Because he was special, he got left out when the other soldiers were put away into a box at night. That's when the toys come to life.
The soldier noticed a paper and gauze ballerina with a crystal bauble on her waist.
One of her legs was lifted behind her, so the soldier thought that she had only one leg, too, and that they had a lot in common.
He fell in love.
She was standing in front of a paper castle. There were wax swans.
A scary jack-in-th-box noticed that the soldier was staring at the ballerina. He tried to keep the soldier away from her.
But the soldier was brave and didn't let that mean goblin deter him. Love finds a way.
The next day, the boy put the soldier on the windowsill. The poor soldier was knocked off, and fell to the street below!
The boy and his nurse rushed down to find him.
The soldier could have called out and been rescued,
but brave soldiers never cry out when in uniform,
so he wasn't found.
Now, what is the message here? If you're in trouble you shouldn't ask for help? Oh dear.
The boat ended up going under the street.
You know who lives under the streets?
Rats.It's a good thing that the soldier was brave.
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Suddenly there was a waterfall!
The boat dropped into a canal. There were bigger dangers than rats in the canal.
He could settle into the mud at the bottom and be lost forever.
And there were fish...
A miracle!When the cook cut into the fish that she was preparing for the family's dinner, she found the soldier.
Oh joy!
The soldier was home, sure to reap the reward for his steadfastness.
A bratty kid threw the poor soldier into the fire!
Just then, a breeze plucked up the ballerina and flew her into the flames with him.
In the morning, the servant who cleaned out the ashes in the stove found that the soldier had melted into a heart.
She also found the blackened crystal from the ballerina's waist.
A chance to die with his love in his arms.
And immortality: all these books and other celebrations of his short but adventurous life.
Epilogue
Looking Glass Theater in Chicago has presented a wonderful version of The Steadfast Tin Soldier.
