Christmas Stories

When my three kids were younger, every year as the holiday season began I’d buy them a new Christmas book or three, which they could open a few days before Christmas. We would sit together and read the new stories every night through the holidays (and sometimes beyond if a story became a favorite). Later in the year, often by Thanksgiving, we would get the books out again and read the favorites as well as the newest. Over the years, we acquired an extensive collection of holiday-themed books.

Some favorites were (of course!) Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, Tazewell’s The Littlest Angel, Dylan Thomas’s A Child’s Christmas in Wales, The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg, Tolkein’s Letters from Father Christmas, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson, and my middle son’s absolute all-time favorite, Little Dracula’s Christmas by Martin Waddell. There were so many more. I read The Polar Express and the Grinch, along with Father Christmas and the brilliantly wordless The Snowman by Raymond Briggs so often that I could recite them in my sleep, and probably still could...

"He HADN'T stopped Christmas from coming! It came! ... 'It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes or bags!'" -- Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas

“The Herdmans were absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world.” --Barbara Robinson, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever:
   

 "But here a small boy says: 'It snowed last year, too. I made a snowman and my brother knocked it down and I knocked my brother down and then we had tea.'
'But that was not the same snow,' I say. 'Our snow was not only shaken from white wash buckets down the sky, it came shawling out of the ground and swam and drifted out of the arms and hands and bodies of the trees; snow grew overnight on the roofs of the houses like a pure and grandfather moss, minutely-ivied the walls and settled on the postman, opening the gate, like a dumb, numb thunder-storm of white, torn Christmas cards.'"

-- Dylan Thomas, A Child's Christmas in Wales

My three little guys are big guys now, but whenever I come across a good Christmas book, I’ll still add to the family collection. Recently they managed to dog-ear a copy of Christopher Moore’s The Stupidest Angel: "Christmas crept into Pine Cove like a creeping Christmas thing...."

What favorite holiday stories hold great memories and have brought more meaning to the magic of Christmastide? 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays have passed for this year -- now may we all look forward to a Happy New Year, and may 2010 bring you peace and joy, and dreams come true....    

  ~Susan          

Comments

[Andrea Penrose]

What a wonderful tradition, Susan. Dr. Seuss and his Grinch were a big favorite when I was little. And Dickens "A Christmas Carol." (I was marley's ghost in a school play . . .obviously i had no acting talent whatsoever so was given a role where all I had to do was rattle chains )

Hope everyone had a lovely holiday, and I add my wishes for a happy and healthy new year.

[Nelda Hargo]

Christmas on Grannymeade by Isaac Asimov

[maryjoputney]

What a nice custom when your kids will little!

I can't think of a specific Christmas classic book apart from A Christmas Carol, but for years, Signet Regencies put out an annual Christmas anthology with five stories, and they were always delightful. A number of the Wenches have written Regency Christmas novellas, and they're such fun. They allowed me to be even -more- sentimental than I usually am!

Mary Jo

[Sherrie Holmes]

Susan, what a good mother you are! I'm sure your boys will always treasure these "book memories."

I just watched Polar Express on the DVD player two days ago (where Tom Hanks was the voice of so many characters) and was thoroughly charmed. I had no idea it was adapted from a book. My very favorite scene was the totally delightful dance and song routine of the waiters on the train, when they troop in with hot chocolate for the kids.

My favorite reads during the holidays are the old Signet Regency Christmas anthologies. I have dozens of them, dating from way back when, purchased from Goodwill eons ago. They're perfect for a quick bedtime read.

[Sue]

I was having elective surgery in December a few years ago and I bought a box full of the Signet regencies off e bay. It was perfect for that post surgical period when you don't have the concentration for a full novel.
My children's favourite book was Santa's Evil Twin by Dean Koontz, they also loved The Snowman. We all enjoyed the Politically Correct Christmas Stories. If you haven't read it, get it, it's a hoot.

[Anne Gracie]

Oh, Susan, you certainly stirred up memories. I remember The Littlest Angel and my mother playing the record of Bing Crosby reading The Small One, which I always loved. And there was a story about some poor children who were facing a no-presents Christmas and they all made presents instead -- I wish I could remember what it was - I think it was an Australian story. I bought Tolkein's Christmas letters when I was a student at university and came across them.

But my all time favorite Christmas book was Ursula Moray Williams' The Good Little Christmas Tree, which we read every year, and which had the most wonderfully vivid and evocative papercut illustrations done by the author herself. It was an old edition that belonged to my mother and I have it now. The cover of my edition is here
http://www.design-vancaimere.be/pics/4/2///christmas%20tree%202.jpg The picture looks almost the same as mine, beloved and well-used.
And one day I want to make a Christmas quilt copying the illustrations. Not that I've ever made a quilt before...

[Anne Gracie]

I just found the text to The Small One on line, if anyone wants to read it. Not quite the same as having Bing's mellifluous voice read it, but the story is still wonderful.

The story is here
http://www.outbackonline.net/Advent%20Calendar/smallone.htm

[Anne Gracie]

And the Littlest Angel is here:
http://www.outbackonline.net/Advent%20Calendar/Journey_Day25_ChristmasDay_WiseWomen2005.htm

[Lyn S]

What a beautiful tradition. I am so jealous I never thought of it. We just went with the new Christmas jammies. Though the best were the Grinch flannel pants I got for my husband. As for Christmas stories, rather than have a favorite, I have strong memories of the most depressing one ever. It is the only book I am glad I lost. It is the "Little Match Girl." Others may find the ending happy, but I much prefer not freezing to death.
Have a merry YuleTide. Squeeze in as much reading as you can.
P.S. Anne -- Quilting is not that hard. I get Australian Quilt magazine when I find it at the book store. You will find a strong support community.

[Linda Banche]

How I miss those Signet Regency Christmas anthologies. I loved those stories. I wish Signet still did them.

[theo]

My lifelong friend still buys my girls a Christmas themed book every year for their Christmas present. We too have managed to build quite a large library of them over the years.

You're going to think I'm silly, I'm sure, but one of my very favorite Christmas books is A Wish For Wings That Work by Berkley Breathed. I'm not a fan of his comics really. Too political for my taste. But that book...I read it to my girls every year and I still tear up like an idiot at the end.

[Anne Gracie]

Lyn S, thanks for the heads-up about quilting. I'll look out for that magazine and your post reminded me, there are quite a lot of quilters among romance writers. Barbara Hannay, Lilian Darcy and Alison Stuart are all quilters, and the M&B Medical authors once made a quilt for a fund raiser.

My mother was a quilter and when she died left her children with a lovely quilt each and one beautiful unfinished quilt that my oldest sister took to finish. And I have a pile of hexagonal medallions that she'd started, which make up about a third of the bedspread, so there's no excuse really. ;)

The Good Little Christmas tree book quilt would be
applique, mostly, I think. Thanks.

[Susan King]

I loved the Signet Regency Christmas stories too! All the Wenches have been included in some wonderful Christmas anthologies over the years.

Theo - A Wish for Wings That Work is one of the best Christmas tales ever, I agree! It's in our box of books too. Love it.

Anne, what a sweet book cover that is - I think it would make a beautiful quilt (or needlepoint or applique Christmas pillow, or whatever!). Great idea.

Happy New Year one and all, and best wishes for 2010!

Susan