Hans Christian Andersen 
The Fir Tree 

In this moralistic tale about appreciating what you have, a young fir tree is so fixated on growing up that he does not value his life in the forest. When he is chopped down and decorated for a family’s Christmas decorations, he expects this to be the beginning of a great career. Sadly, this is not to be. First published in 1844 alongside The Snow Queen.

About the author

Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a Danish writer and author of many notable books including The Snow Queen. He specialized in writing fairytales that were inspired by tales he had heard as a child. As his writing evolved his fairytales became more bold and out of the box. Andersen’s stories have been translated into more than 125 languages and have inspired many plays, films and ballets.