Christmas Stories: 10 Classic Tales to Read This Season
This is a list of ten Christmas stories that have lasted. It includes a Victorian ghost story, two Agatha Christie mysteries, a fairy tale that became a famous ballet and a handful of short stories you can read in a single evening. Some are written for children. Others suit adults who want something seasonal on the sofa.
We have ordered the books by how much interest our own readers show in them, so the titles people look at most come first. Where a book has extra standing, such as a place on a school reading list, we say so. Each note sticks to what the book is about and why it matters, so you can decide quickly which one to pick up.
A Christmas Carol
Dickens's 1843 novella follows Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser visited by the ghost of his old business partner Jacob Marley and then by the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. It is split into five chapters that Dickens called "staves". The treatment of the poor and a selfish man's chance to redeem himself are its key themes. It is studied for GCSE English, and it is the most viewed book on this list.
Hercule Poirot's Christmas
First published by the Collins Crime Club in December 1938, this is a locked room mystery. Frail multi-millionaire Simeon Lee invites his quarrelling family home for Christmas. On Christmas Eve he is found dead behind a locked door, and Poirot joins Colonel Johnson to investigate a killing that may be tied to a theft of uncut diamonds. In the US it was published as Murder for Christmas and later as A Holiday for Murder.
Letters From Father Christmas
Between 1920 and 1943, Tolkien wrote and illustrated letters for his own children, sent as if from Father Christmas or his elvish secretary. They follow Father Christmas and his helpers, including the North Polar Bear, who gets into trouble more than once. The collection was published in 1976, after Tolkien's death, and critics received it warmly. It has been suggested that parts of it inspired The Lord of the Rings.
Nutcracker And The Mouse King
This 1816 German fairy tale is where the Nutcracker story began. On Christmas Eve, Marie is given a nutcracker, and that night it comes alive and leads the toys into battle against the seven-headed Mouse King. It first appeared in Berlin in a collection of children's stories. Tchaikovsky's 1892 ballet was later made from Alexandre Dumas's adaptation of it.
Twas The Night Before Christmas
Better known as 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, this poem was first published anonymously in 1823. A father wakes on Christmas Eve to see Santa Claus land on the roof with eight reindeer and fill the stockings by the fire. It has been called "arguably the best-known verses ever written by an American" and is largely responsible for how Santa Claus has been pictured since the mid-19th century. Moore claimed authorship in 1837, though some have suggested Henry Livingston Jr. wrote it.
The Nutcracker
Dumas's 1844 tale retells Hoffmann's Nutcracker story, and it is the version Tchaikovsky's 1892 ballet was based on. In Dumas, the heroine is called Marie Silberhaus. If you know the Nutcracker from the stage, this is the link between the ballet and Hoffmann's original.
A Christmas Memory
Capote's short story first appeared in Mademoiselle in December 1956. It is largely autobiographical. A seven-year-old boy and his elderly cousin, who is also his best friend, save their pennies in the early 1930s to bake fruitcakes and make each other presents. It focuses on friendship and the joy of giving, and touches gently on loneliness and loss. Now a holiday classic, it has been broadcast, filmed and staged many times.
The Gift Of The Magi
Published in 1905, this short story follows Della and Jim, a young couple with very little money, as each tries to buy the other a secret Christmas present. Della starts with just $1.87. The twist ending is well known and is often cited as an example of dramatic irony. It appears on school reading lists and is a popular choice for adaptation at Christmas.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
This 1972 children's novel is titled The Worst Kids in the World in the UK. It is narrated by Beth Bradley, whose mother is directing the town's Sunday school Christmas pageant. The six badly behaved Herdman siblings bully their way into all the lead roles. Hearing the Christmas story for the first time, they push Beth and her parents to think about it more seriously.
The Adventure Of The Christmas Pudding
This 1960 Collins Crime Club collection contains six cases. It is the only Christie first edition published in the UK that has stories featuring both Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.
Most of these are short, so you could read several between now and Christmas Day. If one of them is already a family tradition in your house, you will find its cover among our art prints.