Hildegarde Graham was a spoiled little girl from New York until she moved to a house in a country after her father's death. In a new surroundings Hilda learns values of kindness and modesty, enriching her own life, as well as lives of her neighbors and her newfound friends. Over the Christmas holidays Hilda enjoys the fruits of her generous behavior and her kind deeds.

Laura E. Richards (1850-1943) was an American writer. She wrote biographies, poetry, and children books. Richards is well-known for her Queen Hildegarde series of books for young girls and for her children's poem of literary nonsense verse "Eletelephony."