Rainer Maria Rilke, who was also a poet in his letters, wrote an annual Christmas letter to his mother. This was in accordance with an old agreement for our six o'clock hour on the twenty-fourth; I try each time to speak to her in a way that is comforting and empathetic for her spirit, and yet also in a way that feels sincere and uplifting for me. The Christmas letters provide a first glimpse into Rilke's extensive correspondence with his mother.