Weekend Writing: Beloved Christmas Stories to Read This Season

With Christmas just around the corner, it's time to celebrate joy, merriment, Jesus, family, and peace. As I have mentioned on my blog, Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I love everything about the holiday, including various books that focus on the season.

Fellow bookworms, it's time to dust off your beloved Christmas favorites. Take out your copies of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and more. If you're looking for more suggestions, look no further. I have compiled a list of classic (and not-so-classic) Christmas books that will add a little more holiday cheer to your bookshelves.

Read these books, snuggle up next to the fireplace, listen to your favorite Christmas carols, and get lost in the Christmas magic.

1. "A Christmas Carol," Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" (photo/Great Illustrated Classics).

How could I not feature one of the most classic Christmas stories? Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol popularized the Christmas holiday in 1843. Before then, Christmas, as we know it today, didn't really exist. So, you can thank Charles Dickens for inspiring your favorite Christmas traditions.

Dickens' imaginative and entertaining tale relates Ebenezer Scrooge's journey through Christmases past, present, and future. In the present, Scrooge is unpleasant, angry, and insensitive. In the past, he wasn't always like that. He was a nice, polite boy who had big dreams. Somewhere along the way, he lost himself. But, as his future shows him, he is headed down a dark path that he won't be able to repair if he doesn't make any changes.

A Christmas Carol is the epitome of the true meaning of Christmas--kindness, cheer, and compassion towards others.

(photo/Pinterest)

2. "The Polar Express," Chris Van Allsburg

Chris Van Allsburg's "The Polar Express" (photo/Amazon.com).

The Polar Express is a classic children's Christmas story. Published in 1985, author and illustrator Chris Van Allsburg takes readers on a journey on the Polar Express to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. A little boy enters a land of magic where he sees the real Santa Claus. Yes, Santa exists in this classic tale.

The children's book was later adapted into the 2004 animated film, starring Tom Hanks. But this holiday season, I recommend reading Van Allsburg's book. The illustrations are stunning and very satisfying. Revisit your childhood...when you believed in the magic of Christmas and Santa Claus.

(photo/jordan tate screenwriter)

3. "The Greatest Gift," Philip Van Doren Stern 

Philip Van Doren Stern's "The Greatest Gift" (photo/Amazon.com).

Phillip Van Doren Stern's short story, The Greatest Gift, might not sound familiar, but you know it by another name: It's a Wonderful Life. The 1946 film, starring Jimmy Stewart, is definitely a holiday classic, but it was based on a short story that came to Stern in a dream one night.

Originally, Stern published the story in a small pamphlet and sent it in his 1943 Christmas card to family and friends. He couldn't find a publisher who wanted to take a chance with the story about George Pratt, who was ready to give up on life until he's given a unique perspective of seeing what the world looks like without his existence. Publishers didn't like the story, so he took matters into his own hands.

Miraculously, one of those 200 cards found its way into the hands of Hollywood director Frank Capra, who shared it with Jimmy Stewart, and they decided to adapt it into a film. The rest is history. We love the holiday film, and I definitely recommend reading the original story.

Quote from "It's a Wonderful Life" (photo/Pinterest).

4. "Letters from Father Christmas," J.R.R. Tolkien 

J.R.R. Tolkien's "Letters from Father Christmas" (photo/Amazon.com).

This calligraphy picture book should be titled Letters from Father Tolkien. The 1976 children's book is filled with letters Tolkien wrote to his children every year for Christmas. Once a year, an envelope bearing a stamp from the North Pole would arrive for his children. Inside would be a letter in calligraphy handwriting and a beautiful colored drawing. The letters were supposedly from "Father Christmas."

The letters describe wonderful tales of life at the North Pole: how the reindeer get into trouble; how the North Polar Bear fell through the roof of Father Christmas' house into the dining room; how the bear broke the Moon and made the Man in the Moon fall into the back garden; and so many more tales accompanied by the most whimsical illustrations you will ever find in a children's book.

Every reader, young or old, can find enjoyment in this classic Christmas tale. If you think Tolkien was only capable of writing about The Lord of the Rings, you're wrong. He charmed young children (and adults) with his imaginative Christmas stories. It's a classic holiday treat.

(photo/Pinterest)

5. "Miracle on 34th Street," Valentine Davies

Valentine Davies' "Miracle on 34th Street" (photo/Goodreads).

You might not be too familiar with the novella, but you have probably seen the classic 1947 film, Miracle on 34th Street, starring Natalie Wood, Maureen O'Hara, and Edmund Gwenn. The story focuses on a disillusioned woman, her skeptical daughter, and a mysterious man who believes in the real Santa Claus.

The inspiration for the story came to author Valentine Davies while standing in line at a big department store during the Christmas season. He pitched the story idea to writer and director George Seaton, who decided to turn it into a screenplay. It was first titled The Big Heart. 20th Century Fox Studios approved the idea and production started in October 1946. The working title was changed to It's Only Human. 

Shortly before the film's release, in May 1947, the film was changed to its final title of Miracle on 34th Street. Due to the success of the film, Davies decided to publish a novella of the same name and story. Is it wrong to believe in the magic of Santa Claus? Is it wrong to believe in the spirit of Christmas? The film (and novella) highlight the faith of Christmas, and it is always a joy to read (and watch) the story every year at Christmastime.

(photo/Christmas)

---

Of course, there are several other beloved Christmas novels I recommend for this season. They are:

• The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski 
• The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry 
• A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote 
• The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffmann 
• The Steadfast Tin Soldier by Hans Christian Andersen 
• 'Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore 
• Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck 
• The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen 
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Robert L. May 
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
• The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
• Amazing Peace by Maya Angelou 
• The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum 
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
• The Night Before Christmas by Nikolai Gogol 
• The Christmas Shoes by Donna VanLiere
• The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman 
• Comfort & Joy by Kristin Hannah 
• The Man Who Invented Christmas by Les Standiford 
• The Tailor of Glouchester by Beatrix Potter 

As you can tell, there are several books that highlight Christmas and the true meaning of the holiday. Take a moment and read these books with your loved ones. Revisit your childhood favorites. You are never too old to read a children's book. Allow these books to remind you of the meaning of Christmas. 

Happy holidays! 

-KJL-