My heart raced from my birthday, through St. Nicholas Day, up to Christmas, and this excitement only grew stronger on the 21st, the 22nd, the 23rd, until the afternoon of the 24th, when the bells and chimes rang out, preceding the opening of doors through the twilight of that incomparable winter day. Since his childhood, Christmas had been the highest and most mysterious celebration of the year for Rainer Maria Rilke. Full of anticipation and joy, he looked forward to that one night of glory - and he expressed this joy repeatedly in letters, poems, and conversations. This volume gathers Rilke's most beautiful texts about the Advent and Christmas season.