High Spirits, by Robertson Davies

Although we generally associate ghost stories with Halloween and October, there is a long tradition in Great Britain of telling ghost stories around the Christmas season. Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is a classic example, with Scrooge being haunted by spirits who offer him one last chance to see the error of his ways. Robertson [...]

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Let it Snow: Three Holiday Romances by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle

I hope you have all enjoyed this week of Twilight alternatives. And now, in the immortal words of Monty Python, for something completely different:
Summer is nearly upon us and it is starting to get hot. While I cannot help with the heat, I can recommend a great set of wintery short stories. Set at Christmas, [...]

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The Father Christmas Letters, by J.R.R. Tolkien

Between 1920 and 1942, J.R.R. Tolkien, best known for his epic fantasy, created these fantasies-in-miniature: yearly letters sent direct from Father Christmas, by Elf Messenger, to Tolkien’s four young children. (He started when his oldest son was three.) Each envelope brought the latest news from the North Pole, hand-lettered in spidery script and colorfully illustrated, [...]

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Miracle, and Other Christmas Stories, by Connie Willis

Quiz time! Instead of reading Christmas stories, Jessica would rather
1. Vacuum
2. Get measles
3. Jump off a bridge
Answer: It was a trick question! All of the above answers are correct!
…you think I’m joking, don’t you. I’m not, believe me, I’m not. Christmas stories are wholesome, and heartwarming, and warm and fuzzy and I believe I’d [...]

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A Christmas Memory, by Truman Capote

Truman Capote is probably recalled by most people today for his flamboyance, his odd speaking voice, and his dissolute lifestyle in the 1960s and 70s. Others may think of him as one of the founders of the narrative nonfiction movement with the success of In Cold Blood, published in serial form in the New Yorker [...]

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The Stupidest Angel: a Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror, by Christopher Moore

For some, Christmas is a time of joy; for others the holidays are difficult. For me the holidays are a big mix of nostalgia, stress, annoyance, confusion, and sheer wonder at the bizarre extremes of behavior that I see this time of year. That, in a nutshell (with emphasis on the nuts), is why I [...]

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A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens

Cheryl reminds us of why it’s worth returning to this Christmas classic:
Christmas may be a humbug to Ebenezer Scrooge but it certainly wasn’t a humbug to Charles Dickens who wrote several fine tales of the holiday season. His best and most famous Christmas story is of course, A Christmas Carol. People have grown up watching [...]

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The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, by Barbara Robinson

Morag offers us a Christmas classic from the junior collection:
If you are looking for a wonderfully funny satirical story to share with your family or church over the holidays – this story is recommended for ages 8 and up: a beloved wacky, witty, fast moving classic since 1972. Six wild children, the Herdman children teach [...]

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Skipping Christmas, by John Grisham

Melissa shares her review of Grisham’s Christmas book:
Ever get tired of the commitments and commercial glitz of the holidays? Luther and Nora Krank do, well, mostly Luther. He analyzes how much money they spent last Christmas and decides, since their daughter is in Peru with the Peace Corps, that they should skip Christmas [...]

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A Christmas Story

I thought it would be appropriate to end the week with one of my favorite holiday movies, A Christmas Story from 1983. It is based on the childhood memories of humorist Jean Shepherd and his book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash. Shepherd, who also narrates the movie, is excellent in bringing [...]

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