by Mary Jo
The original Christmas story is of the journey to Bethlehem and the newborn infant who was laid in a manger, and the holiday has been inspiring Christmas stories ever since. They are stories of warmth, family, and love, of kindness and reconciliation. One of the most famous is the poem "'Twas The Night Before Christmas" written in 1823 by Clement Clark Moore. The depictions of Santa Claus, the chimney, and the sleigh pulled by reindeer have helped shape the imagery of American Christmases ever after.
Another famous tale is Charles Dickens' 1843 novella, "A Christmas Carol" which has never been out of print and has a multitude of film and stage adaptations. (I favor the movie version with George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge.)
I would say that Christmas movies are a cottage industry for TV and streaming services, except that the number produces is more of a vast industrial complex than a cottage industry. I recently read that this year about 150 Christmas films are being released. Many are traditional (I can't even guess how many Hallmark produces every year) but apparently new territory is being broken with gay and trans characters and many more people of color since the Christmas spirit is universal.
One of this year's crop of holiday movies is a recent Netflix release called A Castle for Christmas. It's the tale of a best selling American author in meltdown who goes to the Scottish village where her father grew up. There she falls in love with a castle inhabited by a grumpy bankrupt duke. You can see where this is going. <G> The leads are played by Brooke Shields and Cary Elwes, who was the divine Westley in The Princess Bride. It was nice to see a story where the characters are of mature years. Scotland! Kilts! Happy endings! Of course we liked it.
You'll have noticed that Christmas stories are very popular in the romance genre. Years ago, a friend of mine was in the very first Harlequin Historical Christmas anthology. It was a huge success and the first royalty check almost knocked her out from shock.
Christmas holiday anthologies have been booming ever since. The Signet Regency anthologies are still remembered with great fondness. Several Wenches wrote stories for those anthologies, and we've done indie e-book releases of those stories in more recent times. (Luckily historical novellas don't get outdated. <G>)
The Word Wenches have also done two collective anthologies, Mischief and Mistletoe, which had themes of wenches and inns, and The Last Chance Christmas Ball, where all our stories were set around a Christmas celebration in a stately home in Northumberland.
And we're still writing holiday romances! Last year Anne Gracie wrote her first independently published story, the delightful The Christmas Bride, which is part of her Chance Sisters series.
I'm also still writing Christmas novellas. I believe it's almost impossible to write holiday stories that are too over the top sentimental. <G> Kids, pets, reconciling with families of origin and finding families of choice. Lonely people finding a transforming love that they never expected.
My most recent novella came out in October as part of a Kensington anthology, A Yuletide Kiss. My story, When Strangers Meet, includes my cat Princess Flufferbella, who thoroughly enjoys the holiday. (Incidentally, my previous Kensington anthology, Seduction on a Snowy Night, is on sale through December for a mere 99 cents! My story, One Wicked Winter Night, features my cat, Panda the Magnificent.)
There are so many wonderful Christmas stories available. One I love is Jo Beverley's novella, The Wise Virgin. It's not only a lovely romance, but creates a powerful sense of medieval spirituality.
So tell me what some of your favorite stories are! I'd love to discover new favorites.
Mary Jo