Nativity: A Christmas Tale

by Joseph Bottum

Michael Stuyvesant was dying. A wealthy, courteous, and controlled man, all he wanted was to get to Denver to visit his children for one last Christmas. But sometimes even money, good manners, and a compulsive desire for order are not enough. God, the weather, a gigantic shopping-mall Santa Claus, and a pregnant girl who called herself Cheyenne—“like the city. And a river, too. And a mountain and an Indian tribe. I looked it up”—had other plans for “‘Michael! Michael, oh my God, Michael! What did you do?’ he heard in a shriek behind him as he picked up the fallen weapon. He turned to see Cheyenne’s head poking sideways out the open driver’s-side door. Her elfin face, he thought distractedly—the triangular, fox-like face of an elf who thought he had just killed Santa Claus. And what else would she think? Michael Stuyvesant, a man who prided himself on the calm order of his life, stood with a tire iron in his hand, straddling the body of a titanic Kris Kringle while the fat snowflakes drifted down around him and the chiming, clicking noises of an expensive SUV merged with the screams of a pregnant teenager. ‘Oh, shut up,’ he said.”The second of Kindle Singles author Joseph Bottum’s trilogy of Christmas short stories—modern takes on the Gifts of the Magi—the 13,000-word “Nativity” follows 2012’s “Wise Guy.” And where “Wise Guy” asked what Balthasar, the Wise Man who brought myrrh to Bethlehem, would be like as a clever thief, “Nativity” now re-imagines Melchior, the Wise Man who brought gold, as a wealthy cancer patient adrift in the American Midwest.

Genres: Christmas, Fiction, Short Stories

44 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 3, 2013

Reviews

[Ashley Jacobson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a free book on Audible and sounded like us might be a light hearted feel good listen. It was strange. The narrator was good, but the story was strange. The old guy went to visit family, but the story didn’t include anything about that. It was just about his journey there as he meets a young pregnant girl and helps her. The first half was clean and sounded promising. After these two start traveling together, the feel of the book changed. There was a little language and the young girl (18) promises to make the old guy “feel good” the war he made her feel inside one night while they were cuddling in bed. He says no and told her she is confused and she runs away. In the end this girl is compared to Mart and her baby to Jesus. So strange and a reach. Not really feel good or Christmas-y. Oh well. It was short.

[Niki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short story about Michael old man who knows he is going to die. His plan is to get to Denver to see his children before that happens. Lots of different things came in the way of his planned trip that may end up changing his plans.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very short story. Listened on Audible (Included). Well narrated. This story left me wishing it was a full sized novel.

[Ida Wilcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful story.

Bought tears to my eyes

[Shaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable short story. I don't have too much to say about it except that I think it has a way of speaking to old souls who feel lost in this modern world.

[Susani · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 28%. Just not into this kind of book/theme today

[Miles Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming story about Melchior, one of the magi.