“It’s the best time of the year for the family
It’s a wonderful feeling
Feel the love in the room
From the floor to the ceiling
It’s that time of year
Christmastime is here”
-Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays:
It’s Christmas season! At The Mission, we are determined to spend these next few weeks spreading happiness, holiday cheer, and corny Christmas lyrics.
Some of our most sentimental Christmas memories are those of the family gathering in the living room to watch, read, or listen to Christmas stories. We want to share that joy through storytelling with you, so we’ve compiled 30 of our favorite Christmas books for you to read with those you love.
Enjoy!
1 A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
“You are fettered,” said Scrooge, trembling. “Tell me why?”
“I wear the chain I forged in life,” replied the Ghost. “I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it.”
―Charles Dickens
A Christmas Carol was written in 1843 by Charles Dickens. Short on time and obligated to produce a piece for his editor, Dickens wrote this story using many details from his own life. In the story, he tells the tale of an old, bitter man named Ebenezer Scrooge. Scrooge is visited by three ghosts who take him on a journey through Christmases past, present, and future.
2 Letters From Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien
“I hope you will like the little things I have sent you. You seem to be most interested in Railways just now, so I am sending you mostly things of that sort. I send as much love as ever, in fact more. We have both, the old Polar Bear and I, enjoyed having so many nice letters from you and your pets. If you think we have not read them you are wrong; but if you find that not many of the things you asked for have come, and not perhaps quite as many as sometimes, remember that this Christmas all over the world there are a terrible number of poor and starving people. I (and also my Green Brother) have had to do some collecting of food and clothes, and toys too, for the children whose fathers and mothers and friends cannot give them anything, sometimes not even dinner. I know yours won’t forget you. So, my dears, I hope you will be happy this Christmas and not quarrel, and will have some good games with your Railway all together. Don’t forget old Father Christmas, when you light your tree.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien
Every December, J.R.R. Tolkien’s children would receive a letter from ‘Father Christmas’. These letters shared Father Christmas’s experiences that year — from an accident-prone polar bear to goblin wars in caves beneath the house — and are riddled with life lessons. In Letters from Father Christmas, Tolkien has compiled all these short stories into one book for you to enjoy with your children.
3 The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski
“The village people didn’t know it, but there was a reason for his gloom, a reason for his grumbling, a reason he walked hunched over, as if he were carrying a great weight on his shoulders…” -Susan Wojciechowski
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey is a story about loss, love, and healing. It’s a gentle reminder to love all, even those who appear unwelcoming, because you may not know their struggle.
4 The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
“The magi, as you know, were wise men — wonderfully wise men — who brought gifts to the newborn Christ-child. They were the first to give Christmas gifts. Being wise, their gifts were doubtless wise ones. And here I have told you the story of two children who were not wise. Each sold the most valuable thing he owned in order to buy a gift for the other. But let me speak a last word to the wise of these days: Of all who give gifts, these two were the most wise. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are the most wise. Everywhere they are the wise ones. They are the magi.” -O. Henry
A Gift of the Magi is a beautiful short story about the personal sacrifices we are willing to make for the ones we love.
5.A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote
“My, how foolish I am! You know what I’ve always thought? I’ve always thought a body would have to be sick and dying before they saw the Lord. And I imagined that when He came it would be like looking at the Baptist window: pretty as colored glass with the sun pouring through, such a shine you don’t know it’s getting dark. And it’s been a comfort: to think of that shine taking away all the spooky feeling. But I’ll wager it never happens. I’ll wager at the very end a body realizes the Lord has already shown Himself. That things as they are, just what they’ve always seen, was seeing Him. As for me, I could leave the world with today in my eyes.” ―Truman Capote
A Christmas Memory is a collection of autobiographical stories by Truman Capote. Originally published in 1956, it’s become a Christmas classic riddled with gems like the quote above.
We hope that this list has provided you with new books to read and reminded you of classics worth rereading. :)
What are some of your favorite Christmas books or short stories? Share them in the comments below! Help spread good Christmas vibes by clapping this up and sharing around on the socials!
We hope that this list has provided you with new books to read and reminded you of classics worth rereading. :)
What are some of your favorite Christmas books or short stories? Share them in the comments below! Help spread good Christmas vibes by clapping this up and sharing around on the socials!