NCERT Textbook - The Best Christmas Present in the World | English Class 8 PDF Download

 Page 1


Before you read
There are some dates or periods of time in the history
of the world that are so significant that everyone
knows and remembers them. The story you will read
mentions one such date and event: a war between
the British and the Germans in 1914. Can you guess
which war it was?
Do you know which events the dates below refer to?
(a) 4 July 1776 (b) 17 December 1903
(c) 6 August 1945 (d) 30 January 1948
(e) 12 April 1961 (f) 20 July 1969
The answers are on page 23.
I
I spotted it in a junk shop in Bridport, a roll-top desk.
The man said it was early nineteenth century, and oak.
I had  wanted one, but they were far too expensive. This
one was in a bad condition, the roll-top in several pieces,
one leg clumsily mended, scorch marks all down one
side. It was going for very little money. I thought I could
restore it. It would be a risk, a challenge, but I had to
have it. I paid the man and brought it back to my
workroom at the back of the garage. I began work on it
on Christmas Eve.
I removed the roll-top completely and pulled out the
drawers. The veneer had lifted almost everywhere — it
spotted it:
saw it; found it
(informal)
scorch marks:
burn marks
was going for:
was selling for
(informal)
restore:
(here) repair
veneer:
a thin layer of
plastic or
decorative
wood on
furniture of
cheap wood
Reprint 2024-25
Page 2


Before you read
There are some dates or periods of time in the history
of the world that are so significant that everyone
knows and remembers them. The story you will read
mentions one such date and event: a war between
the British and the Germans in 1914. Can you guess
which war it was?
Do you know which events the dates below refer to?
(a) 4 July 1776 (b) 17 December 1903
(c) 6 August 1945 (d) 30 January 1948
(e) 12 April 1961 (f) 20 July 1969
The answers are on page 23.
I
I spotted it in a junk shop in Bridport, a roll-top desk.
The man said it was early nineteenth century, and oak.
I had  wanted one, but they were far too expensive. This
one was in a bad condition, the roll-top in several pieces,
one leg clumsily mended, scorch marks all down one
side. It was going for very little money. I thought I could
restore it. It would be a risk, a challenge, but I had to
have it. I paid the man and brought it back to my
workroom at the back of the garage. I began work on it
on Christmas Eve.
I removed the roll-top completely and pulled out the
drawers. The veneer had lifted almost everywhere — it
spotted it:
saw it; found it
(informal)
scorch marks:
burn marks
was going for:
was selling for
(informal)
restore:
(here) repair
veneer:
a thin layer of
plastic or
decorative
wood on
furniture of
cheap wood
Reprint 2024-25
Honeydew 10
looked like water damage to me. Both fire and water had
clearly taken their toll on this desk. The last drawer was
stuck fast. I tried all I could to ease it out gently. In the
end I used brute force. I struck it sharply with the side of
my fist and the drawer flew open to reveal a shallow space
underneath, a secret drawer. There was something in
there. I reached in and took out a small black tin box.
Sello-taped to the top of it was a piece of lined notepaper,
and written on it in shaky
handwriting: “Jim’s
last letter, received
January 25, 1915.
To be buried with
me when the
time comes.” I
knew as I did
it that it was
wrong of me to
open the box,
but curiosity
got the better of
my scruples. It
usually does.
Inside the box there was an envelope. The address
read: “Mrs Jim Macpherson, 12 Copper Beeches, Bridport,
Dorset.” I took out the letter and unfolded it. It was written
in pencil and dated at the top — “December 26, 1914”.
Comprehension Check
1. What did the author find in a junk shop?
2. What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had
put it in there?
II
Dearest Connie,
I write to you in a much happier frame of mind because
something wonderful has just happened that I must tell
taken their
toll on:
damaged
stuck fast:
shut tight
scruples:
feelings that
make you
hesitate to do
something
wrong
Reprint 2024-25
Page 3


Before you read
There are some dates or periods of time in the history
of the world that are so significant that everyone
knows and remembers them. The story you will read
mentions one such date and event: a war between
the British and the Germans in 1914. Can you guess
which war it was?
Do you know which events the dates below refer to?
(a) 4 July 1776 (b) 17 December 1903
(c) 6 August 1945 (d) 30 January 1948
(e) 12 April 1961 (f) 20 July 1969
The answers are on page 23.
I
I spotted it in a junk shop in Bridport, a roll-top desk.
The man said it was early nineteenth century, and oak.
I had  wanted one, but they were far too expensive. This
one was in a bad condition, the roll-top in several pieces,
one leg clumsily mended, scorch marks all down one
side. It was going for very little money. I thought I could
restore it. It would be a risk, a challenge, but I had to
have it. I paid the man and brought it back to my
workroom at the back of the garage. I began work on it
on Christmas Eve.
I removed the roll-top completely and pulled out the
drawers. The veneer had lifted almost everywhere — it
spotted it:
saw it; found it
(informal)
scorch marks:
burn marks
was going for:
was selling for
(informal)
restore:
(here) repair
veneer:
a thin layer of
plastic or
decorative
wood on
furniture of
cheap wood
Reprint 2024-25
Honeydew 10
looked like water damage to me. Both fire and water had
clearly taken their toll on this desk. The last drawer was
stuck fast. I tried all I could to ease it out gently. In the
end I used brute force. I struck it sharply with the side of
my fist and the drawer flew open to reveal a shallow space
underneath, a secret drawer. There was something in
there. I reached in and took out a small black tin box.
Sello-taped to the top of it was a piece of lined notepaper,
and written on it in shaky
handwriting: “Jim’s
last letter, received
January 25, 1915.
To be buried with
me when the
time comes.” I
knew as I did
it that it was
wrong of me to
open the box,
but curiosity
got the better of
my scruples. It
usually does.
Inside the box there was an envelope. The address
read: “Mrs Jim Macpherson, 12 Copper Beeches, Bridport,
Dorset.” I took out the letter and unfolded it. It was written
in pencil and dated at the top — “December 26, 1914”.
Comprehension Check
1. What did the author find in a junk shop?
2. What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had
put it in there?
II
Dearest Connie,
I write to you in a much happier frame of mind because
something wonderful has just happened that I must tell
taken their
toll on:
damaged
stuck fast:
shut tight
scruples:
feelings that
make you
hesitate to do
something
wrong
Reprint 2024-25
The Best Christmas Present in the World 11
you about at once. We were all standing to in our trenches
yesterday morning, Christmas morning. It was crisp and
quiet all about, as beautiful a morning as I’ve ever seen, as
cold and frosty as a Christmas morning should be.
I should like to be able to tell you that we began it.
But the truth, I’m ashamed to say, is that Fritz began it.
First someone saw a white flag waving from the trenches
opposite. Then they were calling out to us from across
no man’s land, “Happy Christmas, Tommy! Happy
Christmas!” When we had got over the surprise, some of
us shouted back, “Same to you, Fritz! Same to you!” I
thought that would be that. We all did. But then suddenly
one of them was up there in his grey greatcoat and waving
a white flag. “Don’t shoot, lads!” someone shouted. And
no one did. Then there was another Fritz up on the
parapet, and another. “Keep your heads down,” I told the
men, “it’s a trick.” But it wasn’t.
One of the Germans was waving a bottle above his
head. “It is Christmas Day, Tommy. We have schnapps.
We have sausage. We meet you? Yes?” By this time there
were dozens of them walking towards us across no man’s
land and not a rifle between them. Little Private Morris
was the first up. “Come on, boys. What are we waiting
for?” And then there was no stopping them. I was the
officer. I should have stopped them there and then, I
suppose, but the truth is that it never even occurred to
me I should. All along their line and ours I could see
men walking slowly towards one another, grey coats,
khaki coats meeting in the middle. And I was one of
them. I was part of this. In the middle of the war we
were making peace.
You cannot imagine, dearest Connie, my feelings as
I looked into the eyes of the Fritz officer, who approached
me, hand outstretched. “Hans Wolf,” he said, gripping
my hand warmly and holding it. “I am from Dusseldorf.
I play the cello in the orchestra. Happy Christmas.”
standing to:
taking up
positions
trenches:
long deep
ditches in the
ground where
soldiers hide
from the
enemy
Fritz:
(here), a name
for a German
soldier (Fritz is
a common
German name)
Tommy:
a common
English name,
used here to
refer to British
soldiers
that would be
that:
that was all;
that was the
end of the
matter
schnapps
(pronounced,
sh-naps):
a German
drink made
from grain
cello:
a musical
instrument
like a large
violin
Reprint 2024-25
Page 4


Before you read
There are some dates or periods of time in the history
of the world that are so significant that everyone
knows and remembers them. The story you will read
mentions one such date and event: a war between
the British and the Germans in 1914. Can you guess
which war it was?
Do you know which events the dates below refer to?
(a) 4 July 1776 (b) 17 December 1903
(c) 6 August 1945 (d) 30 January 1948
(e) 12 April 1961 (f) 20 July 1969
The answers are on page 23.
I
I spotted it in a junk shop in Bridport, a roll-top desk.
The man said it was early nineteenth century, and oak.
I had  wanted one, but they were far too expensive. This
one was in a bad condition, the roll-top in several pieces,
one leg clumsily mended, scorch marks all down one
side. It was going for very little money. I thought I could
restore it. It would be a risk, a challenge, but I had to
have it. I paid the man and brought it back to my
workroom at the back of the garage. I began work on it
on Christmas Eve.
I removed the roll-top completely and pulled out the
drawers. The veneer had lifted almost everywhere — it
spotted it:
saw it; found it
(informal)
scorch marks:
burn marks
was going for:
was selling for
(informal)
restore:
(here) repair
veneer:
a thin layer of
plastic or
decorative
wood on
furniture of
cheap wood
Reprint 2024-25
Honeydew 10
looked like water damage to me. Both fire and water had
clearly taken their toll on this desk. The last drawer was
stuck fast. I tried all I could to ease it out gently. In the
end I used brute force. I struck it sharply with the side of
my fist and the drawer flew open to reveal a shallow space
underneath, a secret drawer. There was something in
there. I reached in and took out a small black tin box.
Sello-taped to the top of it was a piece of lined notepaper,
and written on it in shaky
handwriting: “Jim’s
last letter, received
January 25, 1915.
To be buried with
me when the
time comes.” I
knew as I did
it that it was
wrong of me to
open the box,
but curiosity
got the better of
my scruples. It
usually does.
Inside the box there was an envelope. The address
read: “Mrs Jim Macpherson, 12 Copper Beeches, Bridport,
Dorset.” I took out the letter and unfolded it. It was written
in pencil and dated at the top — “December 26, 1914”.
Comprehension Check
1. What did the author find in a junk shop?
2. What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had
put it in there?
II
Dearest Connie,
I write to you in a much happier frame of mind because
something wonderful has just happened that I must tell
taken their
toll on:
damaged
stuck fast:
shut tight
scruples:
feelings that
make you
hesitate to do
something
wrong
Reprint 2024-25
The Best Christmas Present in the World 11
you about at once. We were all standing to in our trenches
yesterday morning, Christmas morning. It was crisp and
quiet all about, as beautiful a morning as I’ve ever seen, as
cold and frosty as a Christmas morning should be.
I should like to be able to tell you that we began it.
But the truth, I’m ashamed to say, is that Fritz began it.
First someone saw a white flag waving from the trenches
opposite. Then they were calling out to us from across
no man’s land, “Happy Christmas, Tommy! Happy
Christmas!” When we had got over the surprise, some of
us shouted back, “Same to you, Fritz! Same to you!” I
thought that would be that. We all did. But then suddenly
one of them was up there in his grey greatcoat and waving
a white flag. “Don’t shoot, lads!” someone shouted. And
no one did. Then there was another Fritz up on the
parapet, and another. “Keep your heads down,” I told the
men, “it’s a trick.” But it wasn’t.
One of the Germans was waving a bottle above his
head. “It is Christmas Day, Tommy. We have schnapps.
We have sausage. We meet you? Yes?” By this time there
were dozens of them walking towards us across no man’s
land and not a rifle between them. Little Private Morris
was the first up. “Come on, boys. What are we waiting
for?” And then there was no stopping them. I was the
officer. I should have stopped them there and then, I
suppose, but the truth is that it never even occurred to
me I should. All along their line and ours I could see
men walking slowly towards one another, grey coats,
khaki coats meeting in the middle. And I was one of
them. I was part of this. In the middle of the war we
were making peace.
You cannot imagine, dearest Connie, my feelings as
I looked into the eyes of the Fritz officer, who approached
me, hand outstretched. “Hans Wolf,” he said, gripping
my hand warmly and holding it. “I am from Dusseldorf.
I play the cello in the orchestra. Happy Christmas.”
standing to:
taking up
positions
trenches:
long deep
ditches in the
ground where
soldiers hide
from the
enemy
Fritz:
(here), a name
for a German
soldier (Fritz is
a common
German name)
Tommy:
a common
English name,
used here to
refer to British
soldiers
that would be
that:
that was all;
that was the
end of the
matter
schnapps
(pronounced,
sh-naps):
a German
drink made
from grain
cello:
a musical
instrument
like a large
violin
Reprint 2024-25
Honeydew 12
“Captain Jim Macpherson,” I replied. “And a Happy
Christmas to you too. I’m a school teacher from Dorset,
in the west of England.”
“Ah, Dorset,” he smiled. “I know this place. I know it
very well.” We shared my rum ration and his excellent
sausage. And we talked, Connie, how we talked. He spoke
almost perfect English. But it turned out that he had
never set foot in Dorset, never even been to England.
He had learned all he knew of England from school,
and from reading books in English. His favourite writer
was Thomas Hardy, his favourite book Far from the
Madding Crowd. So out there in no man’s land we talked
of Bathsheba and Gabriel Oak and Sergeant Troy and
Dorset. He had a wife and one son, born just six months
ago. As I looked about me there were huddles of khaki
and grey everywhere, all over no man’s land, smoking,
laughing, talking, drinking, eating. Hans Wolf and I
shared what was left of your wonderful Christmas cake,
Connie. He thought the marzipan was the best he had
ever tasted. I agreed. We agreed about everything, and
he was my enemy. There never was a Christmas party
like it, Connie.
Then someone, I don’t know who, brought out a
football. Greatcoats were dumped in piles to make
goalposts, and the next thing we knew it was Tommy
against Fritz out in the middle of no man’s land. Hans
Wolf and I looked on and cheered, clapping our hands
and stamping our feet, to keep out the cold as much as
anything. There was a moment when I noticed our
breaths mingling in the air between us. He saw it too
and smiled. “Jim Macpherson,” he said after a while,
“I think this is how we should resolve this war. A football
match. No one dies in a football match. No children are
orphaned. No wives become widows.”
“I’d prefer cricket,” I told him. “Then we Tommies
could be sure of winning, probably.” We laughed at
that, and together we watched the game. Sad to say,
marzipan:
a sweet
covering on a
cake made
from sugar,
eggs and
almonds
Reprint 2024-25
Page 5


Before you read
There are some dates or periods of time in the history
of the world that are so significant that everyone
knows and remembers them. The story you will read
mentions one such date and event: a war between
the British and the Germans in 1914. Can you guess
which war it was?
Do you know which events the dates below refer to?
(a) 4 July 1776 (b) 17 December 1903
(c) 6 August 1945 (d) 30 January 1948
(e) 12 April 1961 (f) 20 July 1969
The answers are on page 23.
I
I spotted it in a junk shop in Bridport, a roll-top desk.
The man said it was early nineteenth century, and oak.
I had  wanted one, but they were far too expensive. This
one was in a bad condition, the roll-top in several pieces,
one leg clumsily mended, scorch marks all down one
side. It was going for very little money. I thought I could
restore it. It would be a risk, a challenge, but I had to
have it. I paid the man and brought it back to my
workroom at the back of the garage. I began work on it
on Christmas Eve.
I removed the roll-top completely and pulled out the
drawers. The veneer had lifted almost everywhere — it
spotted it:
saw it; found it
(informal)
scorch marks:
burn marks
was going for:
was selling for
(informal)
restore:
(here) repair
veneer:
a thin layer of
plastic or
decorative
wood on
furniture of
cheap wood
Reprint 2024-25
Honeydew 10
looked like water damage to me. Both fire and water had
clearly taken their toll on this desk. The last drawer was
stuck fast. I tried all I could to ease it out gently. In the
end I used brute force. I struck it sharply with the side of
my fist and the drawer flew open to reveal a shallow space
underneath, a secret drawer. There was something in
there. I reached in and took out a small black tin box.
Sello-taped to the top of it was a piece of lined notepaper,
and written on it in shaky
handwriting: “Jim’s
last letter, received
January 25, 1915.
To be buried with
me when the
time comes.” I
knew as I did
it that it was
wrong of me to
open the box,
but curiosity
got the better of
my scruples. It
usually does.
Inside the box there was an envelope. The address
read: “Mrs Jim Macpherson, 12 Copper Beeches, Bridport,
Dorset.” I took out the letter and unfolded it. It was written
in pencil and dated at the top — “December 26, 1914”.
Comprehension Check
1. What did the author find in a junk shop?
2. What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had
put it in there?
II
Dearest Connie,
I write to you in a much happier frame of mind because
something wonderful has just happened that I must tell
taken their
toll on:
damaged
stuck fast:
shut tight
scruples:
feelings that
make you
hesitate to do
something
wrong
Reprint 2024-25
The Best Christmas Present in the World 11
you about at once. We were all standing to in our trenches
yesterday morning, Christmas morning. It was crisp and
quiet all about, as beautiful a morning as I’ve ever seen, as
cold and frosty as a Christmas morning should be.
I should like to be able to tell you that we began it.
But the truth, I’m ashamed to say, is that Fritz began it.
First someone saw a white flag waving from the trenches
opposite. Then they were calling out to us from across
no man’s land, “Happy Christmas, Tommy! Happy
Christmas!” When we had got over the surprise, some of
us shouted back, “Same to you, Fritz! Same to you!” I
thought that would be that. We all did. But then suddenly
one of them was up there in his grey greatcoat and waving
a white flag. “Don’t shoot, lads!” someone shouted. And
no one did. Then there was another Fritz up on the
parapet, and another. “Keep your heads down,” I told the
men, “it’s a trick.” But it wasn’t.
One of the Germans was waving a bottle above his
head. “It is Christmas Day, Tommy. We have schnapps.
We have sausage. We meet you? Yes?” By this time there
were dozens of them walking towards us across no man’s
land and not a rifle between them. Little Private Morris
was the first up. “Come on, boys. What are we waiting
for?” And then there was no stopping them. I was the
officer. I should have stopped them there and then, I
suppose, but the truth is that it never even occurred to
me I should. All along their line and ours I could see
men walking slowly towards one another, grey coats,
khaki coats meeting in the middle. And I was one of
them. I was part of this. In the middle of the war we
were making peace.
You cannot imagine, dearest Connie, my feelings as
I looked into the eyes of the Fritz officer, who approached
me, hand outstretched. “Hans Wolf,” he said, gripping
my hand warmly and holding it. “I am from Dusseldorf.
I play the cello in the orchestra. Happy Christmas.”
standing to:
taking up
positions
trenches:
long deep
ditches in the
ground where
soldiers hide
from the
enemy
Fritz:
(here), a name
for a German
soldier (Fritz is
a common
German name)
Tommy:
a common
English name,
used here to
refer to British
soldiers
that would be
that:
that was all;
that was the
end of the
matter
schnapps
(pronounced,
sh-naps):
a German
drink made
from grain
cello:
a musical
instrument
like a large
violin
Reprint 2024-25
Honeydew 12
“Captain Jim Macpherson,” I replied. “And a Happy
Christmas to you too. I’m a school teacher from Dorset,
in the west of England.”
“Ah, Dorset,” he smiled. “I know this place. I know it
very well.” We shared my rum ration and his excellent
sausage. And we talked, Connie, how we talked. He spoke
almost perfect English. But it turned out that he had
never set foot in Dorset, never even been to England.
He had learned all he knew of England from school,
and from reading books in English. His favourite writer
was Thomas Hardy, his favourite book Far from the
Madding Crowd. So out there in no man’s land we talked
of Bathsheba and Gabriel Oak and Sergeant Troy and
Dorset. He had a wife and one son, born just six months
ago. As I looked about me there were huddles of khaki
and grey everywhere, all over no man’s land, smoking,
laughing, talking, drinking, eating. Hans Wolf and I
shared what was left of your wonderful Christmas cake,
Connie. He thought the marzipan was the best he had
ever tasted. I agreed. We agreed about everything, and
he was my enemy. There never was a Christmas party
like it, Connie.
Then someone, I don’t know who, brought out a
football. Greatcoats were dumped in piles to make
goalposts, and the next thing we knew it was Tommy
against Fritz out in the middle of no man’s land. Hans
Wolf and I looked on and cheered, clapping our hands
and stamping our feet, to keep out the cold as much as
anything. There was a moment when I noticed our
breaths mingling in the air between us. He saw it too
and smiled. “Jim Macpherson,” he said after a while,
“I think this is how we should resolve this war. A football
match. No one dies in a football match. No children are
orphaned. No wives become widows.”
“I’d prefer cricket,” I told him. “Then we Tommies
could be sure of winning, probably.” We laughed at
that, and together we watched the game. Sad to say,
marzipan:
a sweet
covering on a
cake made
from sugar,
eggs and
almonds
Reprint 2024-25
The Best Christmas Present in the World 13
Connie, Fritz won, two goals to one. But as Hans Wolf
generously said, our goal was wider than theirs, so it
wasn’t quite fair.
The time came, and all too soon, when the game was
finished, the schnapps and the rum and the sausage
had long since run out, and we knew it was all over.
I wished Hans well and told him I hoped he would see
his family again soon, that the fighting would end and
we could all go home.
“I think that is what every soldier wants, on both
sides,” Hans Wolf said. “Take care, Jim Macpherson.
I shall never forget this moment, nor you.” He saluted
and walked away from me slowly, unwillingly, I felt.
He turned to wave just once and then became one of
the hundreds of grey-coated men drifting back towards
their trenches.
That night, back in our dugouts, we heard them
singing a carol, and singing it quite beautifully. It was
Stille Nacht, Silent Night. Our boys gave them a rousing
chorus of While Shepherds Watched. We exchanged
carols for a while and then we all fell silent. We had had
our time of peace and goodwill, a time I will treasure as
long as I live.
dugout:
a shelter for
soldiers made
by digging a
hole in the
ground and
covering it
Reprint 2024-25