The Elves and the Shoemaker

There once was a shoemaker who had become quite poor and had nothing much left except for a bit of leather—enough to make one more pair of shoes. That evening he cut out the leather in hopes of making the pair of shoes the following day. The next morning, he early prepared for work on making the shoes, but when coming to the workroom, he noticed the shoes lying on the table fully complete. The shoemaker was astonished! He examined them closely and found them exquisitely and masterfully made. Soon after, a customer entered the shop, saw the shoes, was quite impressed with them, and therefore, paid much more than the asking price. With that money the shoemaker was able to purchase enough leather for two more shoes.

That evening he cut them out, and the next morning he found the leather made into two beautiful pairs of shoes. Just as before, the shoemaker sold the shoes with the money and purchased enough leather to make 4 pairs of shoes. He cut them out as he had done in the past. The next morning, he found the four pairs made. This continued day after day: whatever the shoemaker cut out in the evening was mysteriously made into shoes during the night. And so, over time, the shoemaker became a wealthy man. Now it happened that not long before Christmas that the shoemaker said to his wife, “I am quite curious as to who or what is making these shoes so elegantly and doing us such a service. Perhaps we should stay up in the night to see who it is. What think ye of that dear wife?” The woman liked the idea. Therefore, they hid themselves until midnight when they saw little naked men taking the leather and crafting, sewing, hammering, and stitching it into shoes. They did it so cleverly and swiftly, and quick as a wink, they vanished away.

The next morning the woman suggested to her husband, “Those poor little men have worked so hard for us and have even made us rich—yet, they have not even as much as their own clothes to wear. Perhaps today I will make some clothes for them. I will sew and knit shirts, trousers, vests, and stockings for them. You can make them little shoes to wear. Then, when they come tonight, they will have something of their own to wear.”

“That is a grand idea,” said the shoemaker.

During the day the shoemaker and his wife made the gifts for the elves. That night they left the gifts on the worktable and hid themselves. About midnight, the elves appeared as before. They were simply delighted with the gifts that were left for them. The elves then dressed themselves with the apparel and began singing,

“Now we are boys so fine to see,

Why should we longer cobblers be?”

Then they danced and sang some more until finally they danced themselves away and never returned again. But for the remainder of their days, the gracious shoemaker and his wife fared well and prospered in all they did.

A Word from Ollie

Whooo, Whooo! What do you think of this tale? Let us reflect: There is a lesson here for all of us. There almost always is. This is a Grimm's fairy tale. They have been passed down for centuries now, and they were told for a reason. Yes, it was entertainment; but it was also for the creative expression of the lessons of life.

He was a poor shoemaker at the beginning of the tale, but for some reason, the elves pitied him. The shoemaker, after being blessed by the workmanship of the elves, did not squander the money he made. He invested it back into his business in hopes of gaining a bit more . . . and then a bit more . . . and a bit more. His little bit grew into a lot. Here is a lesson about the importance of saving and investing in order to provide and prosper. But he wasn't selfish: he continued plying along, cutting out leather and selling the following day what the elves created.

I like to also think of this tale as a lesson demonstrating the adage “One good deed deserves another” or “Give, and it shall be given unto you.” The elves gave of their time to help a poor destitute man and his wife who were quite poor. In return for their kindness, the couple gave to the elves a gift: clothes and shoes.

The Crafty Corner

Christmas is just around the corner, and here is craft to help create a festive holiday ambiance for your space. The gingerbread boy is still on the loose. Can you catch him?

This project is very easy to do and will enable you to make a 10” beanbag gingerbread doll. Just take brown felt and cut out the doll body. Sew the 2 pieces together leaving an opening to stuff the body. Use an overcast stitch for sewing. I used white embroidery thread for sewing. This creates the illusion of frosting along the outer edge. Glue or sew black felt circles on white circles (white circles a bit larger) to make the eyes. Fill the body with beads or sand about half way. Use some fiberfill stuffing to fill the rest of the body. Embroider a smile onto the face. Sew white felt circles onto the gingerbread tummy. Use the overcast stitch again to sew up the opening used for stuffing. I then used red felt to make a bow tie. Just cut out a rectangle about 2 '' or so. Pinch it in the middle and sew, creating the bow tie. Then attach at neck of doll. And there you have it: a gingerbread doll!

Book of the Month

I recently read the book King Arthur and His Knights. I loved it! It tells the story of young King Arthur and how he grows as a person, acquiring knights for his famous Round Table. Intriguing tales about himself and “meanwhile” stories about his knights and their travels will thrill you. The book is cleverly and beautifully written and crafted. The author, Howard Pyle, is quite gifted with writing in an almost archaic middle English; yet, it's mixed with enough modern English so that it is easily understood by even a child. Merlin, Lady of the Lake, evil women who desire magical powers, Excalibur, mysterious knights—all this and more is contained within this truly entertaining book. 

So find a nook, take a look, Read this thrilling, captivating book!