Christmas In Camelot

The bold, encouraging, and creative Annie Smith is Jack’s younger sister and the story’s other main character. The seven-year-old has blue eyes and wears her blond hair in braided pigtails. The outgoing and optimistic girl sets the story into motion when she declares that the dove is a messenger sent to lead them to the magic tree house: “‘You’re just hoping!’ said Jack. ‘I’m knowing!’ said Annie. She ran into the woods, following the white dove” (4). During the children’s quest to the Otherworld, Annie’s support and encouragement prove crucial to the success of their mission. For example, she helps her frightened brother reach the iron gate: “‘I’ll hold on to the hood so it won’t blow off,’ she said. ‘You just think about getting across that bridge. Nothing else’” (50). Annie’s creativity also helps them accomplish their goals. She slips past the guards and opens the iron gate to the Otherworld by pretending to be the wind. Annie faces challenges with bravery and creativity and encourages those around her.

Osborne establishes Annie’s boldness and bravery as signature characteristics that play a vital role in advancing the plot and themes of the story. Even though she’s only seven years old, she’s determined to help her friends, no matter what perils she must face. By insisting they accept the quest to save Camelot, she sets The Journey From Innocence to Heroism in motion, readily answering the call to adventure: “‘THEY WILL GO!’ boomed the knight. His words echoed throughout the hall. Oh, no, thought Jack. ‘Yes!’ said Annie. She pulled Jack toward the Christmas Knight” (31). Annie acts as a foil character to Jack because her boldness contrasts with his caution. The differences between the siblings also contribute to the story’s thematic interest in The Significance of Hope and Imagination. Despite her brother’s skepticism, Annie repeatedly proposes hopeful and creative ideas, such as using the cloak to sneak past the iron gate’s guards: “‘Maybe it can make us invisible,’ said Annie. ‘That’s nuts,’ said Jack. ‘Seriously,” she said, ‘cloaks sometimes do that in stories’” (47). In a key narrative moment that highlights the themes of heroism and imagination, Annie’s boldness and creativity lead her and Jack to drink The Water of Memory and Imagination and fight off the fire-breathing Keepers of the Cauldron.

Morgan Le Fay is a wise and powerful enchantress, a perceptive thinker, and acts as a mentor figure and caring friend to Jack and Annie. Osborne enhances Morgan’s mystical appearance by giving her “a long cloak” and flowing “white hair [that blows] in the wind” (11). The wise enchantress possesses powerful magic. For example, she owns the magic tree house that transports Jack and Annie through time so they can experience educational adventures and save the day in places far from their home in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania. Despite Morgan’s power, she cannot protect the children from everything. In Chapter 3, Morgan’s “eyes filled with tears” when she tells Jack and Annie that King Arthur’s ban on magic means they may never see each other again (25). She also demonstrates her concern by trying to stop Jack and Annie from accepting the perilous quest. When the Christmas Knight freezes her in time, she looks “like the statue of a caring friend” (32). Morgan cares deeply about her young friends, and she aids them with her powers of perception. For example, she helps Jack and Annie understand that Merlin invited them to Camelot so that they could save the kingdom from the curse. Morgan Le Fay’s power, wisdom, and friendship make her a valuable ally and an important supporting character in Osborne’s narrative.

Morgan plays an important part in the story’s plot due of her role as Jack and Annie’s friend and mentor. As the owner of the magic tree house, she sets the stage for the children’s adventures. In this story, she provides exposition for both the protagonists and the reader. For example, she explains the reason for Camelot’s desolation in Chapter 2: “After you left, Arthur defeated [Mordred], but not before Mordred’s Dark Wizard cast a spell over the whole kingdom. The spell robbed Camelot of all its joy” (13). At the end of the book, Morgan identifies the mysterious magician as Merlin and informs the children that he disguised himself as both the Christmas Knight and the white stag. Morgan’s exposition fulfills the story’s foreshadowing, resolving the threads of Osborne’s story. In addition, saving Morgan becomes the siblings’ main motivation throughout their quest. Annie and Jack repeatedly remind themselves and one another that they must persevere for their friend’s sake. For example, hearing the enchantress’s name helps Jack shake off the power of the winged dancers’ circle: “‘Morgan! Morgan!’ Annie shouted. Jack stumbled again. Then he used all his might to stop himself from dancing” (63). Even though Morgan is absent for most of the story, she plays a key role in Osborne’s plot.

Osborne’s version of King Arthur whom Jack and Annie encounter in this story is stern, despairing, and protective. She describes the legendary ruler as having “piercing gray eyes” (20). Initially, Arthur despairs because he loses hope that Camelot can be saved from the curse that stole the kingdom’s joy. When his three bravest knights go missing in the Otherworld, the stern king blames magic “for all of Camelot’s woes” and bans it from his kingdom (24). Despite the Christmas Knight’s goading, Arthur refuses to sacrifice any more knights to what he believes is a hopeless cause: “Never again will I feed good men to the magic and monsters of the Otherworld!” (29). King Arthur remains grateful to Jack and Annie for the way they inspired him during their previous meeting, and he tries to stop the children from going with the Christmas Knight. Although this story presents a melancholy version of King Arthur, his protective actions hint at his noble heart—a signature characteristic of the king in Arthurian legend.

Osborne uses King Arthur to establish the story’s setting, genre, and stakes. As the ruler of Camelot, the king makes clear that this adventure explores Arthurian legend rather than a factual historical era. Arthur’s enmity with Mordred and his ban on magic set the stage for the dramatic action and raise the stakes of the plot: “‘So…does that mean the magic tree house is…?’ Morgan nodded. ‘Yes. Banished from Camelot,’ she said. ‘I’m afraid this will be your last journey. And the last time we see each other’” (25). Because of the ban, all of Jack and Annie’s future adventures with the magic tree house hang in the balance. After the children succeed in their quest, King Arthur transforms from stern and despairing to joyous: “Soft, gentle laughter came from the end of the hall. The laughter grew louder. Jack saw King Arthur and Queen Guinevere looking at one another—they were laughing!” (98). The pronounced change in the king underscores the theme of The Magic of Christmas and its Values, as does the beautiful celebration that he hosts in the castle’s great hall. The king’s presence in the story contextualizes Osbornes narrative within the pantheon of Arthurian legend and adds to the urgency of the main characters’ quest.