Dear Children
GA 298
21 December 1919, Stuttgart
I. Address at the Christmas Assembly
Several weeks ago, when we all came to this school for the first time, I visited you more often. Then there were a few weeks when I had to be quite far away from here, but each morning when I got up and went to work, I wondered, “What are my dear Waldorf children and their teachers doing now?” This thought came to me often during the day. And now, in the festive Christmas season, I have had the privilege of being able to visit you again. I went into all your classes and asked many of you, “Do you love your teachers?” [“Yes!” shout the children.] And you see, you answered me warmly, just like that. And then I said to you, “That is an especially nice Christmas gift for me!”
And it is a nice Christmas gift for me. You see, dear children, I have to think about how you have been spending your days since Herr Molt gave us the gift of this Waldorf School. After resting from evening until morning in the divine spirit that watches over your souls from the time you go to sleep until the time you wake up, and after you have washed and dressed and gotten all ready, you come up here to this beautiful schoolhouse. And I believe that many of you, maybe even all of you, look forward to everything that will be here for you in this beautiful schoolhouse. [“Yes!” shout the children.]
Dear children, you have reason to look forward to it. You see, while I was away from you I thought of you often, and in my thoughts I wondered, “What are my dear Waldorf children doing?” And I also said to myself, “They will be doing just fine, because they have nice capable teachers, and these nice capable teachers approach them with real love and are working very hard so that something good will come of the children.” And then I had to think of how you look forward to coming up here and of the love you show for your teachers. These teachers have to work long and hard to be able to teach you all the good and beautiful things that will make good and capable people out of you.
And you know, my dear children, I was especially pleased when I was in the classes and some children would come in playing the part of Ruprecht1Ruprecht: in the European tradition, the Moorish helper of St. Nicholas, who carries a black sack and administers symbolic punishments to children who have been bad during the past year. or of little angels, and they sang and talked about the child Jesus, about the holy Christ Child. It was beautiful and grand that you could speak about the Christ with such love, and that you could listen with such love.
And do you know where your teachers get all the strength and ability they need so that they can teach you to grow up to be good and capable people? They get it from the Christ, whom we think about at Christmas. We think about how He came into the world to bring joy to all people, and you gave some beautiful presentations about Him today.
You see, my dear children, there are beings on earth that are not like human beings—for example, the animals around us—and we might often think that we should envy these animals. You can look up and see the birds flying, and perhaps then you might say, “Oh, if only we could fly, too! Then we would be able to soar into the air.” We human beings cannot fly like the birds because we have no wings. However, dear children, we can fly into the element of the spiritual, and we have two wings to fly there. The wing on the left is called “hard work,” and the other wing on the right is called “paying attention.” We cannot see them, but these two wings—hard work and paying attention—make it possible for us to fly into life and become people who are really ready for life. If we work hard and pay attention as children, and if we have teachers that are as good and capable as yours, then what makes us fit for life will come to us, and on the wings of hard work and paying attention we will be able to fly into life, where the love of our teachers carries us.
You know, you can sometimes think that there are things that are more fun than learning. But that is not really true; there is no greater joy than learning. You see, when you enjoy something that lets you be inattentive and does not make you work hard, then the joy is over immediately. You enjoy it, and then the joy is gone. But when you enjoy what you can learn, when you are flying on the wings of hard work and paying attention, then my dear children, something stays behind in your souls. (Later on you will know what the soul is.) Something stays in your soul, and you can enjoy that over and over again. When we have learned something good and proper, it comes back again and again; we enjoy it again and again with a joy that never stops. But the other fun things, the ones that come only from inattentiveness and laziness, they come to an end.
You see, because many of you—all of you, I would like to believe—want to work hard and pay attention to what your nice teachers are giving you, I was so glad to see your love for your teachers streaming out of your eyes when I saw you again. And so that you do not forget it, I would like to ask you again, “Don't you all sincerely love your teachers?” [“Yes, we do!” shout the children.] Now, that is what you should always say. That is what you should always feel, and then the spirit whose earthly life and birth we remember at Christmas time, the Christ spirit, will take joy in you.
Now, my dear children, when you have felt your teachers' love all day long up here, then you can go home again and tell your parents about what you have learned, and your parents will be glad and say to themselves, “Well, our children are going to grow up to be good and capable people.”
Make sure to write that in your souls, for now is a good time to do that. When we think of the great festival that reminds us that the Christ entered our world to bring comfort and joy to all human beings who turn their hearts and souls toward Him, then we can also inscribe in our souls the intention to become good human beings. Because the power of Christ is helping you, you will become what you write in your souls today, what you seriously intend to become. And when I come again and see that you have made even more progress, when I come again and see that you can once again show me that you have taken love for your teachers into your hearts and kept it there, then I will again be very glad. My warmest Christmas wish for you today is that this love will grow ever more perfect in you, and that you may continue to unfold the left wing of the human soul, which is hard work, and the right wing, which is paying attention.
And now that I have spoken to the children, let me still say a few words to those who have accompanied them here. What I just said to the children flows from a deeply satisfied heart, because I really have received the most beautiful Christmas greeting from them. When I came into the school, what wafted toward me was something I would like to call the good spirit of this school. It was the really good spirit, the good and unifying spirit, that brings teachers and children together here.
You see, in these days a Christmas mood was resting on all the serious teaching that was taking place, and it was deeply satisfying to perceive this Christmas mood, into which the revelation of Christ speaks, if I may put it like that, in all the corridors and especially in the classrooms. This was no mere supplement to the regular lessons. You could feel that our faculty managed to warm and enlighten everything that was being presented to the children's souls and hearts and understanding with the real, true spirit of Christ. Here, in accordance with the wishes of the divine spirit, we do not speak the name of Christ after every sentence—for “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain!”—but it is nonetheless true that this spirit of Christ is with us in all our individual subjects and in every teaching activity. This is something that can readily be felt, especially at this time of year. Perhaps you too have been able to feel it in what came to meet you out of this Christmas assembly.
And finally, to conclude my Christmas greeting, I would like to appeal to the children whom you have sent here. I hope their progress pleases you.
Children, when you enter these rooms with the other boys and girls, recall that you are meant to love each other warmly, to love each and every other one. If love prevails among you, you will thrive under the car e of your teachers, and your parents at home will have no concerns and will have loving thoughts of how you are spending your time here.
There is something we may say today, ladies and gentlemen, which should resound, as the spirit of this school, from every word and glance the children bring home to you who have sent them here, as an echo of what is meant to permeate all of our human journeying on earth since the mystery of Golgotha took place, to permeate all human work and activity, and especially all activity in which the spirit has work to do. May the words that ring in our souls today weave through everything that human beings do out of self-understanding, weave like a warming breath of air or beam of sunlight:
The revelation of the divine from heavenly heights,
And peace to human beings on earth who are of good Will!Luke 2:14
Our great ideal is to cultivate this good will in the children of the Waldorf School. Our concern must be to find the governance of the spirit of the world in our work, in everything we do. May the Christmas message, “The revelation of the spirit of God from the heavenly heights, and peace to human beings on earth who are of good will,” trickle down into all the work of the Waldorf School as well. May the school's working strength be governed by brotherly love and by the peace that inspires and supports all work! That, dear ladies and gentlemen, is my Christmas greeting to you today.
Ansprache Bei Der Weihnachtsfeier
Meine lieben Kinder! Vor einigen Wochen, als wir zum erstenmal alle in diese Schule gingen, da besuchte ich euch öfter. Dann kamen ein paar Wochen, da mußte ich ziemlich weit weg von hier sein. Aber jedesmal, wenn ich morgens aufgestanden war und zu meiner Arbeit ging, da mußte ich denken: Was werden jetzt meine lieben Waldorfkinder und ihre lieben Lehrer machen? Und oft am Tage, da kam mir dieser Gedanke. Und jetzt zur lieben Weihnachtsfeierzeit, da durfte ich euch wiederum besuchen. Da kam ich in alle Klassen hinein, und viele von euch, meine lieben Kinder, fragte ich: Habt ihr eure lieben Lehrer auch lieb? [Ja! - rufen die Kinder.] Und seht ihr, so Ja habt ihr mir herzlich geantwortet. Und da sagte ich euch: Das ist mir ein ganz besonders liebes Weihnachtsgeschenk!
Das ist mir auch ein liebes Weihnachtsgeschenk. Denn seht ihr, ich muß denken, meine lieben Kinder, wie ihr, seit unser lieber Herr Molt uns diese Waldorfschule geschenkt hat, den Tag verbringt. Nachdem ihr geruht habt von dem Abend bis zum Morgen in dem göttlichen Geist, der eure Seele behütet von da, wo ihr eingeschlafen seid, bis da, wo ihr aufgewacht seid, und wenn ihr dann euch gewaschen, angezogen, ordentlich, recht ordentlich gemacht habt, dann geht ihr hier herauf nach diesem schönen Schulhaus. Aber ich glaube, viele von euch, vielleicht alle, freuen sich auf dasjenige, was sie hier in diesem schönen Schulhaus alles haben werden. [Ja! - rufen die Kinder.]
Und, meine lieben Kinder, ihr könnt euch auch freuen. Seht ihr, wie ich oftmals, als ich von euch weg war, an euch hier dachte, und wie ich fragte in Gedanken: Was machen die lieben Waldorfkinder? - da sagte ich mir auch: Diesen lieben Waldorfkindern wird es gut gehen, denn die haben liebe, tüchtige Lehrer, und die lieben, tüchtigen Lehrer, die kommen ihnen entgegen mit rechter Liebe und streben mit großem Fleiß an, daß etwas ganz Tüchtiges aus diesen Kindern werde! - Und da mußte ich denken, wie ihr euch freut, wenn ihr hier heraufgeht, an der Liebe, die euch eure Lehrer entgegenbringen. Diese Lehrer, die müssen viel arbeiten und viel sich anstrengen, damit sie euch all das Gute und Schöne lehren können, das euch zu tüchtigen Menschen macht.
Und sehet ihr, meine lieben Kinder, besonders gefreut hat es mich, als in die einzelnen Klassen, während ich darinnen war, immer ein paar Kinder hereinkamen: Knecht Ruprecht oder so etwas wie Engelchen stellten sie dar, und sie sangen und sprachen von dem heiligen Christus, von dem Jesuskind. Und das ist schön, das ist groß, daß ihr mit solcher Liebe habt sprechen können von dem Christus und mit solcher Liebe habt zuhören können.
Denn wißt ihr, woher eure Lehrer diese ganze Tüchtigkeit und Kraft haben, daß sie euch einmal zu tüchtigen Menschen im Leben machen können? Die haben sie von dem Christus, an den wir zu Weihnachten denken, wie er in die Welt zur Beglückung aller Menschen hereingekommen ist, und von dem euch heute so schön dargestellt worden ist.
Seht ihr, meine lieben Kinder, es gibt auf der Erde noch andere Wesen als der Mensch ist, zum Beispiel die Tiere, die um ihn herum sind, und man könnte oftmals denken, daß man diese Tiere beneiden soll. Ihr könnt hinaufschauen und könnt sehen, wie die Vöglein fliegen, vielleicht könntet ihr dann sagen: Ja, könnten wir doch auch fliegen, dann würden wir uns in die Lüfte erheben können! — Wir Menschen können nicht so fliegen wie die Vögel, weil wir keine Flügel haben. Aber, meine lieben Kinder, wir können fliegen in das Geistige hinein, wir können fliegen mit zwei Flügeln: ein Flügel links, das ist der Fleiß, der andere Flügel rechts, das ist die Aufmerksamkeit. Diese Flügel kann man nicht sehen, aber diese zwei Flügel — der Fleiß und die Aufmerksamkeit -, die machen, daß wir ins Leben hineinfliegen können und wirklich für das Leben tüchtige Menschen werden. Wenn wir fleißige Kinder sind, wenn wir aufmerksam sind, dann kommt, wenn wir so tüchtige Lehrer haben, wie ihr sie habt, dann kommt das an uns heran, was uns für das Leben geeignet macht; dann können wir hineinfliegen mit Fleiß und Aufmerksamkeit in das Leben, in das uns die Liebe der Lehrer trägt.
Seht ihr, ihr könntet manchmal denken: Ach, es gibt andere Freuden als das Lernen! - O nein, es gibt keine größere Freude als das Lernen! Denn seht ihr, wenn ihr euch freut an dem, was euch unaufmerksam und unfleißig sein läßt, dann ist die Freude gleich vorbei. Ihr freut euch, und gleich ist die Freude vorbei. Aber wenn ihr euch freut an dem, was ihr lernen könnt, wenn ihr euch freut, wenn ihr fliegt mit dem Fleiß und der Aufmerksamkeit, dann, meine lieben Kinder, dann bleibt etwas in eurer Seele - ihr werdet später wissen, was die Seele ist -, dann bleibt etwas in eurer Seele, und wir können uns immer wieder und wiederum freuen. Haben wir etwas Tüchtiges gelernt, dann kommt es immer wieder und wiederum, und wir freuen uns immer aufs neue, und wir haben eine Freude, die nicht aufhört. Andere Freuden, die nur durch Unaufmerksamkeit und durch Trägheit kommen, hören auf.
Seht ihr, weil viele von euch - und ich möchte glauben alle -, weil ihr fleißig und aufmerksam sein wollt auf dasjenige, was euch eure lieben Lehrer bringen, deshalb habe ich mich, als ich euch wiederum gesehen habe, so gefreut, daß aus euren lieben Augen mir entgegenstrahlte die Liebe zu euren Lehrern. Und damit ihr es ja nicht vergeßt, möchte ich euch auch jetzt wiederum fragen: Habt ihr nicht alle eure Lehrer herzlich lieb? [Doch! - rufen die Kinder.] Seht ihr, das sollt ihr immer sagen. Immer sollt ihr so fühlen und empfinden, denn dann hat auch der Geist, an dessen Erdenleben und dessen Geburt wir uns erinnern zur heiligen Weihnachtszeit, dann hat der Geist, der Christus-Geist, an euch seine Freude.
Nun, meine lieben Kinder, wenn ihr den ganzen Tag hier oben die Liebe eurer Lehrer empfunden habt, dann könnt ihr wiederum nach Hause gehen, könnt euren lieben Eltern erzählen von demjenigen, was ihr gelernt habt, und eure lieben Eltern können eine Freude daran haben und können sich sagen: Unsere Kinder, die werden einmal im Leben tüchtige Menschen sein!
Schreibt euch das recht in eure Seelen, denn jetzt ist dazu eine gute Zeit. Wenn wir des großen Festes gedenken, durch das wir uns erinnern, daß Christus in unsere Welt hereingezogen ist zum Trost und zur Beglückung aller Menschen, die ihr Herz und ihre Seele zu ihm hinwenden, dann dürfen wir uns auch dasjenige in die Seele schreiben, was Vorsatz ist, ein guter Mensch zu werden. Was ihr euch heute in die Seele schreibt, was ihr euch heute richtig vornehmt, das wird euch dadurch, daß euch Christi Kraft beisteht, im Leben werden. Und wenn ich wiederkommen und sehen werde, daß ihr in den Fortschritten es noch weiter gebracht habt, wenn ich wiederkomme und sehe, daß ihr mir wiederum zeigen könnt, daß ihr die Liebe zu euren Lehrern in euer Herz aufgenommen und noch behalten habt, dann werde ich wiederum an euch allen meine innigste Freude haben. Daß diese Liebe in euch immer mehr und mehr erwachse, daß ihr immer mehr und mehr entfalten könnt den linken Flügel der menschlichen Seele: Fleiß; den rechten Flügel: Aufmerksamkeit, das wünsche ich euch heute als einen herzlichen Weihnachtsgruß.
Und jetzt, nachdem ich zu den Kindern gesprochen habe, noch ein paar Worte zu denen, welche die Kinder hierher begleitet haben! Was ich eben zu den Kindern gesagt habe, ist aus der tiefsten Befriedigung meines Herzens geflossen, weil ich wirklich etwas als schönsten Weihnachtsgruß empfangen habe. Was mir entgegenwehte aus dieser Schule, das war, was ich nennen möchte den guten Geist dieser Schule. Ein wirklich guter Geist war es, der hier Lehrer und Kinder vereint, ein guter, ein einheitlicher Geist.
Sehen Sie, Weihnachtsstimmung ruhte in diesen Tagen über dem ganzen ernsten Unterricht, und diese Weihnachtsstimmung, ich möchte sagen, dieses Hereinsprechen der Christus-Offenbarung, das man auf allen Gängen und namentlich in den Schulzimmern so tief befriedigend vernahm, das war nicht etwas wie eine Beigabe zu dem übrigen Unterricht, das war so, daß man empfinden konnte: Unsere Lehrerschaft hat es dazu gebracht, alles, was hier an die Seelen, an die Herzen, an den : Verstand der Kinder herangebracht wird, zu durchwärmen, zu durchleuchten von wirklichem, echtem Christus-Geist. Wenn auch dem Gottesgeiste gemäß nicht nach jedem Worte hier ausgesprochen wird der Christusname — denn: «Du sollst den Namen deines Gottes nicht eitel aussprechen!» - so ist es doch so, daß dieser Christus-Geist bei uns in allen einzelnen Lehrfächern, in aller einzelnen Lehrtätigkeit steckt. Das ist es, was man insbesondere in dieser Zeit empfinden konnte, was Sie vielleicht auch heute empfunden haben aus dem, was Ihnen als Weihnachtsfeier entgegenkam.
Und den Kindern, die Sie hierher gesandt haben, an deren Fortschritt Sie hoffentlich auch Freude haben, diesen Kindern möchte ich noch zum Schlusse als Ergänzung meines Weihnachtsgrußes zurufen:
Kinder, wenn ihr hereintretet in diese Räume und eure Kameraden und Kameradinnen findet, dann denkt daran, daß ihr einander euch herzlich lieben sollt, jeder und jede den anderen. Liebe soll walten unter euch, dann werdet ihr hier unter der Sorgfalt eurer Lehrer gedeihen, und eure Eltern zu Hause werden ohne Sorge und auch mit Liebesgefühlen daran denken, wie ihr hier eure Zeit zubringt.
Denn das dürfen wir heute sagen, meine lieben Anwesenden, und das soll jederzeit als der Geist dieser Schule hinaustönen zu Euch, die Ihr die Kinder hereingeschickt habt, das soll Euch aus jedem Wort und Blick, den Euch die Kinder nach Hause bringen, heraustönen: ein Nachklang dessen, was in alles menschliche Wandeln auf Erden einziehen soll, seitdem sich zugetragen hat das Mysterium von Golgatha, das eindringen soll in alle menschliche Arbeit, in alles menschliche Wirken, insbesondere in jenes Wirken, bei dem der Geist seine Arbeit zu tun hat. Es soll durchweben wie ein wärmender Lufthauch, wie ein leuchtender Sonnenstrahl alles, was, sich selbst verstehend, Menschen tun, das Wort, das uns heute in der Seele klingt:
Offenbarung des Göttlichen aus den himmlischen Höhen,
und Friede den Menschen auf Erden, die eines guten Willens sind!
Daß wir diesen guten Willen in den Kindern der Waldorfschule erziehen, das ist unser großes Ideal. Daß wir das Walten des Geistes der Welt finden in unserer Arbeit, in unserem Wirken, das soll unsere Sorge sein. Das Weihnachtswort: «Offenbarung . des Gottesgeistes aus den himmlischen Höhen, und Friede den Menschen auf Erden, die eines guten Willens sind», es träufle hinein auch in alle Arbeit der Waldortfschule! Es durchwalte ihre energische Arbeitksraft sittliche Liebe, und alle Arbeit befeuernder und alle Arbeit tragender Friede! Das, meine lieben Anwesenden, sei mein heutiger Weihnachtsgruß!
Speech at the Christmas Celebration
My dear children! A few weeks ago, when we all first started attending this school, I visited you quite often. Then there were a few weeks when I had to be quite far away from here. But every time I got up in the morning and went to work, I couldn't help thinking: What will my dear Waldorf children and their dear teachers be doing now? And often during the day, this thought came to me. And now, during the lovely Christmas season, I was able to visit you again. I came into all the classes, and I asked many of you, my dear children: Do you love your dear teachers too? [Yes! – the children call out.] And you see, you answered me with a heartfelt yes. And then I said to you: That is a very special Christmas present for me!
That is also a lovely Christmas present for me. For you see, my dear children, I have to think about how you spend your days since our dear Mr. Molt gave us this Waldorf School. After you have rested from evening until morning in the divine spirit that protects your soul from where you fell asleep to where you woke up, and after you have washed, dressed, and made yourselves neat and tidy, you come up here to this beautiful school building. But I believe that many of you, perhaps all of you, are looking forward to everything you will have here in this beautiful school building. [Yes! - the children shout.]
And, my dear children, you can also rejoice. Do you see how often, when I was away from you, I thought of you here, and how I asked myself in my thoughts: What are the dear Waldorf children doing? — I also said to myself: These dear Waldorf children will be fine, because they have loving, capable teachers, and these loving, capable teachers meet them with true love and strive with great diligence to make something very capable out of these children! And then I had to think about how happy you are when you come up here, about the love your teachers show you. These teachers have to work hard and make a lot of effort so that they can teach you all the good and beautiful things that will make you capable people.
And you see, my dear children, I was especially pleased when, while I was in the individual classes, a few children kept coming in: they portrayed Knecht Ruprecht or something like little angels, and they sang and spoke of the holy Christ, of the baby Jesus. And that is beautiful, that is great, that you were able to speak of Christ with such love and listen with such love.
For do you know where your teachers get all this competence and strength that enables them to make you capable people in life? They have it from Christ, whom we remember at Christmas, how he came into the world to bring happiness to all people, and who has been so beautifully portrayed to you today.
You see, my dear children, there are other beings on earth besides humans, for example the animals that surround them, and one might often think that one should envy these animals. You can look up and see how the little birds fly, and perhaps you might say: Yes, if only we could fly too, then we could rise up into the air! — We humans cannot fly like birds because we have no wings. But, my dear children, we can fly into the spiritual realm, we can fly with two wings: one wing on the left, which is diligence, and the other wing on the right, which is attentiveness. These wings cannot be seen, but these two wings — diligence and attentiveness — enable us to fly into life and truly become capable human beings. If we are diligent children, if we are attentive, then, if we have such capable teachers as you have, we will acquire what makes us fit for life; then we can fly into life with diligence and attentiveness, carried by the love of our teachers.
You see, you might sometimes think: Oh, there are other joys besides learning! – Oh no, there is no greater joy than learning! For you see, when you rejoice in what makes you inattentive and lazy, then the joy is soon over. You rejoice, and soon the joy is over. But when you rejoice in what you can learn, when you rejoice when you fly with diligence and attention, then, my dear children, something remains in your soul—you will know later what the soul is—something remains in your soul, and we can rejoice again and again. When we have learned something useful, it comes back again and again, and we rejoice again and again, and we have a joy that never ends. Other joys, which come only through inattention and laziness, come to an end.
You see, because many of you – and I would like to believe all of you – because you want to be diligent and attentive to what your dear teachers bring you, that is why I was so happy when I saw you again, because the love for your teachers shone out of your dear eyes. And so that you don't forget, I would like to ask you again: Don't you all love your teachers dearly? [Yes! – the children shout.] You see, you should always say that. You should always feel and sense that, because then the spirit whose earthly life and birth we remember at the holy Christmas season, then the spirit, the spirit of Christ, will rejoice in you.
Now, my dear children, if you have felt the love of your teachers here all day, then you can go home again, tell your dear parents what you have learned, and your dear parents can rejoice and say to themselves: Our children will one day be capable people!
Write this down in your souls, for now is a good time to do so. When we commemorate the great feast, through which we remember that Christ came into our world to comfort and bring happiness to all people who turn their hearts and souls to him, then we may also write down in our souls our intention to become good people. What you write in your souls today, what you truly resolve today, will come to pass in your lives through the power of Christ. And when I come back and see that you have made even more progress, when I come back and see that you can show me once again that you have taken love for your teachers into your hearts and still hold it there, then I will once again have the deepest joy in all of you. May this love grow more and more within you, may you develop more and more the left wing of the human soul: diligence; and the right wing: attentiveness. This is my heartfelt Christmas greeting to you today.
And now, after speaking to the children, a few words to those who have accompanied them here! What I have just said to the children has flowed from the deepest satisfaction of my heart, because I have truly received something as the most beautiful Christmas greeting. What came to me from this school was what I would like to call the good spirit of this school. It was a truly good spirit that united teachers and children here, a good, unified spirit.
You see, the Christmas spirit rested over all the serious lessons during these days, and this Christmas spirit, I would say, this speaking in of the Christ revelation, which could be heard so deeply satisfyingly in all the corridors and especially in the classrooms, was not something like an addition to the rest of the lessons, it was such that one could feel: Our teaching staff has managed to warm and illuminate everything that is brought here to the souls, hearts, and minds of the children with the real, genuine spirit of Christ. Even if, in accordance with the spirit of God, the name of Christ is not spoken after every word here — for “Thou shalt not take the name of thy God in vain!” — it is nevertheless true that this Christ spirit is present in all our individual subjects and in all our individual teaching activities. This is what could be felt especially at this time, and what you may also have felt today from what you encountered at the Christmas celebration.
And to the children you have sent here, whose progress you hopefully also enjoy, I would like to add to my Christmas greeting by saying:
Children, when you enter these rooms and meet your classmates, remember that you should love each other dearly, each and every one of you. Love should reign among you, then you will flourish here under the care of your teachers, and your parents at home will think of how you spend your time here without worry and with feelings of love.
For we may say this today, my dear friends, and this should always resound as the spirit of this school to you who have sent your children here. It should resound from every word and glance that your children bring home to you: an echo of what should enter into all human activity on earth since the mystery of Golgotha took place, which should penetrate all human work, all human activity, especially that activity in which the spirit has its work to do. It should permeate like a warming breath of air, like a shining ray of sunshine, everything that people do, understanding themselves, the word that resounds in our souls today:
Revelation of the divine from the heavenly heights,
and peace on earth to people of good will!
It is our great ideal to nurture this goodwill in the children of the Waldorf School. It should be our concern to find the spirit of the world at work in our labor, in our activities. The Christmas words: “Revelation . of the Spirit of God from the heavenly heights, and peace on earth to people of good will,” may it also permeate all the work of the Waldorf School! May moral love permeate its energetic workforce, and peace that inspires and sustains all work! That, my dear friends, is my Christmas greeting today!