Christmas Stories

by Mary Jo

I adore Christmas stories.  This is the season of the year when we can be as gooey, sentimental, and over the top as we want, and IT’S ALL RIGHT! 

We all know the original Christmas story with no room at the inn, the birth, the adoration of shepherds, sheep, and kings.  (And if you like amusing Christmas stories, here’s an interview with the Nativity Innkeeper from the Whatever blog by science fiction writer John Scalzi.) 

Christmas stories have become their own genre, and in recent years it’s become common for bestselling authors to write short Christmas novels.  There are lots of Christmas movies, of course, including beloved ones that are played over and over and over at this time of year:  It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Story, and at least four versions of A Christmas Carol.  (My favorite is the George C. Scott version.)  Obviously Charles Dickens was a pioneer in the short Christmas novel category. 

And the Christmas music!  Musicians across the whole spectrum of music from country to gospel and all points in between have recorded Christmas album—and I’ve bought a ton of them.  <G>  An early favorite was Joan Baez’s Noel, which surprised me when it came out because she was known more as a protest/folk singer then.  But it was, and is, exquisite.

Christmas stories deal with reconciliation, returns of the prodigal, unexpected blessings, and finding love and happiness. 

This is a terrific fit with romance, of course.  The first romance Christmas anthology I remember was from Harlequin, and it made a huge splash.  A year later there were lots of Christmas anthologies, and they are still the most popular type of anthology. 

The Signet Regency Christmas anthologies were popular for years and years.  (By the way, it was only a couple of years ago that I learned that an anthology is multiple authors and a collection is several pieces by one author.  I used the terms interchangeably for years.)

All of the Wenches have written Christmas novellas and other short works.  Pat Rice and I have written enough that we can now e-publish whole collections of earlier stories, like Pat’s recently released Christmas Surprises and my Christmas Mischief.  (I have enough more Christmas stories that when I have time, I’ll e-pub a second collection of them.) 

And you don’t even have to be Christian to play.  Our much missed Wench, Edith Layton, was Jewish and she wrote some of the Best. Christmas. Novellas. Ever.  She wrote enough for four or five collections of her holiday stories, and I hope someday they will be available in e-book form.

Mary Balogh is another master of the form who has written many, many Christmas novels and novellas.  She has one collection of five of her Regency Christmas stories, Under the Mistletoe, which is still available in print.  I like to take credit for the collection.  I’d come up with the idea of packaging five of my Christmas stories together as Christmas Revels, and I persuaded my contemporary romance publisher, Berkley, to publish it. 

Not long after, I was talking with the Signet Regency editor who worked with Mary Balogh and me for years.  I forget the context, but I suggested she do an all-Balogh Christmas collection, and she jumped on the idea, with Under the Mistletoe the happy result. 

One of my favorites among my own stories is “The Christmas Cuckoo,” now available in my Christmas Mischief collection, and it contains all the holiday tropes, plus the kinds of characters I write about over and over because I love them. 

A weary soldier named Major Jack Howard comes home from the wars just before Christmas, steps off a coach, and is intercepted by a representative of his distant family who gives him orders about how to make himself presentable.  Not in the mood to be bossed around, Jack gets on the next coach leaving the inn, not caring where it’s going.

Riding on the bitter cold top of the coach, Jack drinks some very potent spirits to keep from freezing, and falls asleep in an inn during a short stop to change horses.  Meanwhile, a warm-hearted young lady named Meg Lambert comes to the posting inn to collect Captain Jack Howard, the best friend of her soldier brother, whom she’s never met.

So she goes home with the wrong Jack Howard because he doesn’t know who she is, but he’d follow her ANYWHERE. And then he wakes up sober, and doesn’t want to leave because he is discovering the warmth and happiness he’s never known.

“The Christmas Cuckoo” is outrageous.  It is shameless.  It is schmaltzy.  It is the one of the Mayhem Consultant’s favorite stories, and one Christmas he had me read favorite scenes out loud to him. 

Is there a happy ending?  Do we even have to ask?   <G>  Here’s a very short Christmas story, "Sarah's Sister," also by science fiction author John Scalzi. The story is not science fiction, it’s shamelessly emotional and I loved it.

So what are your favorite Christmas stories?  Ones you’ve read, or ones you’ve lived?  I’d love to hear!

Happy holidays to all from the Wordwenches.  From Christmas to Twelfth Night, the Christmastide period, we'll be posting little holiday favorites  of various sorts, so stop by for some fun. 

May you have a holiday of warmth and laughter--

Mary Jo

Comments

[theo]

Christmas Wedding Gambit is the only one that comes to mind at the moment because the Hn was so imperfect compared to the standards, though I do have some anthologies that I love as well. In fact, I enjoy most Christmas stories for the reason you mentioned. They're uplifting and just make me feel good and at this time of year, that's always the best feeling to have.

Merry Christmas to all of you!

ps: And The Virtuous Widow!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Theo--

The uplift is lovely, plus a shorter story is easier to find time for during all the holiday craziness. Friends, family, and seasonal frivolity are all very well, but a reader also needs some time to read even in the busiest of seasongs!

[Anne]

I have a collection of short stories which is heartwarming and lovely. They are Merry Christmas Stories by Jeff. R. Spalsbury. My CHristmas Ghost was so enjoyable and special.

[Janga]

I love Christmas books and count rereading favorites as one of my favorite Christmas rituals. Winter Fire and “The Virtuous Widow” were among my rereads. But this year, since mid-October I have written four Christmas blogs at Heroes and Heartbreakers (a general one called “A Booklover’s Christmas,” and one each on small-town Christmases, category Christmas novels, and the Signet Christmas anthologies. In the latter I talked about my top ten stories from the collections: two by you, Mary Jo, and two by Mary Balogh, two by Carla Kelly, and one by Edith Layton, Elisabeth Fairchild, Barbara Metzger, and Nancy Butler. And I have reviewed ten Christmas novels, three Christmas anthologies, and seven Christmas novellas--most of them 2011 publications. I don’t think I can write another word about Christmas books this year, and I’m already reading January and February releases. :)

[Diane Sallans]

Reading a Christmas story really gets me in the holiday mood, so I'm always looking for some to read in December. I recently read Mary Balogh's 'A Christmas Promise' - it was great!
Happy Holidays!

[LynneW]

Hi Mary Jo! The best of Christmases to you and the other Wenches. Three of my favorite Christmas stories include two by you: The Christmas Cuckoo and Sunshine for Christmas; plus one of Edith Layton's: The Gingerbread Man. I pull them out and read them anytime I need a lift, not just at Christmas, although I do make sure to read them every Christmas as well.

[Linda Banche]

One of my favorite Christmas stories is Mary Jo's THE CHRISTMAS CUCKOO. I read that story when it first came out and I remembered it through the years. I love the twist at the end. I never saw it coming. I bought CHRISTMAS REVELS just to get that story.

As far as movies go, I love THE MUPPETS CHRISTMAS CAROL. Gotta love Miss Piggy as Mrs. Cratchit, The Great Gonzo as Charles Dickens, and all those muppets.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Anne, I'm not familiar with jeff R. Spalsbury, but he sounds worth checking out. Thanks!

[Mary Jo Putney]

LOL, Janga!

It definitely sound like Christmas story overkill in your house. *G* I'm glad a couple of my stories made your cut.

Maybe what the world needs is an anthology of Groundhog Day stories.....

[Mary Jo Putney]

Thanks, Diane! I agree with you about a good holiday story that leaves us with a smile on our faces definitely helps enhance the mood. *g*

[Mary Jo Putney]

Hi, Lynne!

I'm glad that two of my Christmas stories make your top 3! I love all my stories, but very high on my personal list would be "The Christmas Cuckoo" and "The Black Best of Belleterre."b I love writing raging sentimentality. *g*

Merry Christmas!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Linda--

THE MUPPETS CHRISTMAS CAROL! How could I possibly have missed that??? Make that at least 5 movies of A Christmas Carol. *G*

Jack Howard is one of my favorite heroes. He was such a teddy bear. *g*

Happy holidays--

[Cynthia Owens]

Mary Jo, I was definitely NOT feeling the Christmas spirit this year. My dad passed away a week before Christmas five years ago, and that was the last time we had a green Christmas. This year, we've had unbelievably warm, rainy weather, very much like that year. So, hoping to jump-start the spirit, I sat down and read your "Christmas Revels." Right after that, I started to feel the old magic of the season. And today, as icing on the cake, we had snow, and everything looks like it's been dusted with sugar. There is definitely magic in your stories!

Wishing you and all the Wenches a happy holiday, filled with peace, joy, love, and lots of new stories!

[LilMissMolly]

Love A Christmas Carole. A good story doesn't always need romance in it to be enthralling. :)

[Anne Gracie]

Chiming in late here — and thanking those who thought my Virtuous Widow worth a mention. I do enjoy a Christmas story, novella or full length. A fave full length novel is UK Writer Trisha Ashley's Twelve Days of Christmas, which is funny, heartwarming and romantic.

All the best to everyone for Christmas.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Cynthia--

I'm so sorry that Christmas reminds you so of the loss of your father. I can't take credit for your snow , but I'm glad Christmas Revels has helped put you into the holiday spirit.

May you have a joyful holiday, and may 2012 be filled with all good things--

Mary Jo

[Mary Jo Putney]

LilMissMolly--

You're right that a good story doesn't need romance, and in fact, a lot of Christmas stories are about family.

But as a romance writer, naturally I'm happy to write stories that include both. *G*

[Mary Jo Putney]

**cA fave full length novel is UK Writer Trisha Ashley's Twelve Days of Christmas, which is funny, heartwarming and romantic**

Anne, I reread TWELVE DAYS this week when in the finale throes of finishing a book of my own. I wanted a warm and wonderful read to counter my exhaustion, and Twelve Days was it I'm so happy you introduced us to Trisha Ashley this year!

Happy holidays Down Under, and enjoy that the traditional Christmas day at the beach!

[Ruth]

I just finished reading a non-fiction wonderful book which was emotional and beautiful. A secret Gift. This takes place before Christmas and is so lovely.

[Miranda Neville]

Love your Christmas Cuckoo, Mary Jo, but I'm even fonder of Sunshine for Christmas. There are not, IMO, nearly enough romances set in Italy!

Merry Christmas, happy holidays to all the Wenches.

[Anne Gracie]

Miranda, I do so agree about there not being enough romances set in Italy. Or France, or other gorgeous parts of Europe. Or other parts of the world.
I'm off to dig out Sunshine for Christmas because here it's already Christmas morning, and it's hot and humid and storms are predicted for this afternoon.
Happy holidays to all.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Ruth--

That sounds like another winning story to hunt down! Thank you....

MJP

[Mary Jo Putney]

Miranda--

You're right--we need FAR more Christmas stories set in Italy, and other delicious places, as Anne says.

You have a happy holiday and a prosperous, happy New Year!