Christmas is around the corner, and who better to settle the mood than the good old Man in Black himself, Johnny Cash? In a time where less important things are prioritized like Christmas presents or even the turkey that just won't cook on time, Cash's voice reading "The Christmas Guest," brings forth a heartwarming lesson: we need to treat each other kindly and compassionately.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Let's take a look at The Christmas Guest, which you can hear on Johnny Cash's voice here if you'd like. Spoiler alert: he didn't write the poem himself, but we'll get to that too.
The Christmas Guest, By Johnny Cash
"I'm Coming To Be Your Guest"
It happened one day at December's end,
Some neighbors called on an old time friend.
And they found his shop so meager and lean
Made gay with a thousand bows of green
And old Conrad was sitting with face a-shine
When he suddenly stopped as he stitched a twine
And he said "My friends, at dawn today,
When the cock was crowing the night away
The Lord appeared in a dream to me
And said 'I'm coming your guest to be.'
So I've been busy with feet astir
Strewing my shop with branches of fir.
The table is spread and the kettle is shined.
And over the rafters the holly is twined.
Now I'll await for my Lord to appear
And listen closely so I will hear
His steps as He nears my humble place.
And I'll open the door and look on His face.
A Shabby Beggar
Then his friends went home and left Conrad alone
For this was the happiest day he had known,
For long since, his family had passed away
And Conrad had spent many a sad Christmas Day.
But he knew with the Lord as his Christmas Guest
This Christmas would be the dearest and best.
So he listened with only joy in his heart
And with every sound he would rise with a start
And look for the Lord to be at his door.
Like the vision that he had had a few hours before.
So he ran to the window after hearing a sound
But all he could see on the snow covered ground
Was a shabby beggar whose shoes were torn
And all of his clothes were ragged and worn.
But old Conrad was touched and he went to the door
And he said, "You know, your feet must be cold and sore.
I have some shoes in my shop for you
And a coat that will keep you warmer too."
So with grateful heart the man went away
But Conrad noticed the time of day
And wondered what made the dear Lord so late
And how much longer he'd have to wait.
A Bent Old Lady
Then he heard a knock, he ran to the door
But it was only a stranger once more.
A bent old lady with a shawl of black
And a bundle of kindling piled on her back.
She asked for only a place to rest
A place that was reserved for Conrad's Great Guest.
But her voice seemed to plead "Don't send me away,
Let me rest for awhile, it's Christmas Day."
So Conrad brewed her a steaming cup
And told her to sit at the table and sup.
But after she left he was filled with dismay
For he saw that the hours were slipping away
And the Lord had not come as he said he would.
Then Conrad felt sure he had misunderstood.
A Wandering Child
When out of the stillness he heard a cry
"Please help me and tell me where am I?"
So again he opened his friendly door
And stood disappointed as twice before.
It was only a child who'd wandered away
And was lost from her family on Christmas Day.
Again Conrad's heart was heavy and sad
But he knew he could make the little girl glad.
So he called her in and he wiped her tears
And quieted all her childish fears.
Then he led her back to her home once more
But as he entered his own darkened door
He knew the Lord was not coming today.
For the hours of Christmas had all passed away.
Your Christmas Guest
So he went to his room and knelt down to pray
And he said "Dear Lord, why did you delay?
What kept you from coming to call on me?
I wanted so much your face to see."
Then softly in the silence a voice he heard.
"Lift up your head, I have kept my word.
Three times my shadow crossed your floor
And three times I came to your lowly door.
I was the beggar with bruised, cold feet
I was the woman you gave something to eat.
I was the child on the homeless street.
Three times I knocked, three times I came in.
And each time I found the warmth of a friend.
Of all the gifts, love is the best.
And I was honored to be your Christmas Guest."
A Heartwarming Lesson
"The Christmas Guest" is a valuable lesson to all of us, regardless if we are Christian or not. An excited Conrad waits for the Lord to visit him but time and time again he feels disappointed. Guest after guest comes along, but no Lord is to be found. However, Conrad treated each and every one of them with love, making them feel welcome.
Conrad eventually finds himself blessed by the presence of the Lord. Not physically, though, as the Lord communicated with Conrad only through prayer. However, Conrad already "met" with the Lord, as He was present in the beggar, the woman, and the little girl. By treating each of them with compassion, he soon rejoiced to know that the Lord did visit him and that his embrace could be felt in the neighbor.
Sometimes things go wrong, and maybe 2024 wasn't the best year. But whenever we get the chance, treating others kindly does not only provide happiness to them, but to ourselves as well. And in times like these that are troublesome, a heartwarming gathering of family and friends is perhaps the thing we desperately need.
A Brief Story Of The Christmas Guest
"The Christmas Guest" appeared in Cash's 65th album, "Classic Christmas." In it, as you might have heard, Christmas music embellishes Cash's reading of the poem. However, according to Atkins Bookshelf, the poem's writer is Helen Steiner Rice, with the original title "The Story of the Christmas Guest."
Other artists like Reba McEntire and Grandpa Jones also performed their renditions of the poem in the form of a song, but it was Rice who wrote each of the poem's verses (while the artists would sometimes change minor details too). However, Rice based her poem on Leo Tolstoy's "Where Love Is, God Is," a short story written in 1885, which has the same beats as the poem.
Tolstoy based his short story on the Catholic hymn, "Ubi Caritas," and "Le Pere Martin" by Ruben Saillens, according to Atkins Bookshelf.
All in all, "The Christmas Guest" is a poem based on the Bible, more specifically based on the Parable of the Sheep and Goats (Matthew 25, 31-46). "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you made me welcome lacking clothes and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me."
