Heartwarming stories are one of the many wonderful facets of the Christmas season. From A Christmas Carol to The Nutcracker and even novels like Little Women that have become seasonal favorites despite not truly being holiday-specific, there are classic favorites of the Christmas season that readers return to each year. These stories of festive cheer, redemption, love, family, and the importance of kindness are cozy, familiar pillars of the festive season for readers. Though Christmas giants like A Christmas Carol will always hold our attention, there are a number of other Christmassy reads that are largely unheard of, or at least hardly spoken of, despite many being written by famous classic authors. In this festive season, there’s no better time to get lost in these forgotten Christmas stories.
Cozy Christmas Stories
Papa Panov’s Special Christmas
by Leo Tolstoy
Papa Panov’s Special Christmas is a heart-warming story of lonely shoemaker Papa Panov’s generosity reflects the true spirit of Christmas.
A Christmas Memory
by Truman Capote
First published in 1956, this much sought-after autobiographical recollection of Truman Capote’s rural Alabama boyhood has become a modern-day classic. We are proud to be reprinting this warm and delicately illustrated edition of A Christmas Memory–“a tiny gem of a holiday story” (School Library Journal, starred review). Seven-year-old Buddy inaugurates the Christmas season by crying out to his cousin, Miss Sook Falk: “It’s fruitcake weather!” Thus begins an unforgettable portrait of an odd but enduring friendship between two innocent souls–one young and one old–and the memories they share of beloved holiday rituals.
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Old Christmas
by Washington Irving
Warmly convivial and delightfully festival, this charming and long forgotten holiday classic, by one of American literature’s most beloved writers, was inspired, in part, by Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and other celebrations of oldtime Yule. Splendid suppers and rural churches, cheerful dances and hearty spirits imbue this short novel with the magic of the season. This festive work, first published in 1896, deserves to be a holiday tradition alongside Dickens in the celebrations of the winter solstice.
The Greatest Gift
by Philip Van Doren Stern
For almost seventy years, people the world over have fallen in love with Frank Capra’s classic Christmas movie It’s a Wonderful Life. But few of those fans know that Capra’s film was based on a short story by author Philip Van Doren Stern, which came to Stern in a dream one night. Unable at first to find a publisher for his evocative tale about a man named George Pratt who ponders suicide until he receives an opportunity to see what the world would be like without him, Stern ultimately published the story in a small pamphlet and sent it out as his 1943 Christmas card. One of those 200 cards found its way into the hands of Frank Capra, who shared it with Jimmy Stewart, and the film that resulted became the holiday tradition we cherish today. Now fans of It’s a Wonderful Life, or anyone who loves the spirit of Christmas, can own the story that started it all in an elegant, illustrated edition that’s perfect for holiday giving. It includes an Afterword by Stern’s daughter, Marguerite Stern Robinson, that tells the story of how her father’s Christmas card became the movie beloved by generations of people around the world.
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
by L. Frank Baum
Every child knows about Santa Claus, the jolly man who brings gifts to all on Christmas. There are many stories that tell of his life, but the delightful version relayed in The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus is by far the most charming and original of all. Only L. Frank Baum, the man who created the wonderful land of Oz, could have told Santa’s tale in such rich and imaginative detail.
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A Child’s Christmas in Wales
by Dylan Thomas
Originally emerging from a piece written for radio, the poem was recorded by Thomas in 1952. The story is an anecdotal retelling of a Christmas from the view of a young child and is a romanticised version of Christmases past, portraying a nostalgic and simpler time. It is one of Thomas’ most popular works.
Merry Christmas
by Stephen Leacock
A man struggling to write a Christmas story gets a visit from Father Time to discuss what’s wrong with Christmas, then is treated to Father Christmas’ arrival, rekindling his true belief in the season’s magic.
Louisa May Alcott’s Christmas Treasury
by Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott has been loved by generations of readers for her timeless stories like Little Women, Little Men, and Jo’s Boys. Few authors have equaled her ability to bring characters to life in such a way that readers truly care for and believe in them-and are inspired to be like them. Now for the first time, all of Alcott’s known Christmas short stories and novellas have been gathered into a single exquisite collection, which is sure to brighten the holidays for book lovers. Readers of all ages will cherish these fifteen enchanting tales filled with hope, sorrow, faith, joy, redemption, strength, and goodness. Louisa May Alcott’s Christmas Treasury is a wonderful gift for oneself or a loved one.
A very Merry Christmas to you all!
Merry Christmas! 🎅💞🎄
Thank you, Carla! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season 🖤😊