A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
A warm guide to Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol: its ghosts, themes, Victorian Christmas atmosphere and why Scrooge's story still defines Christmas fiction.
Christmas Stories by the Fireside
Christmas stories belong beside a lamp, a tree and a mug that is slightly too hot to hold. This shelf mixes public-domain classics, Victorian winter tales and new little stories written simply because December deserves stories of its own.
The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
A guide to O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi, the classic short Christmas story about love, sacrifice, gifts and why the ending still works.
The Night Before Christmas
The story and history behind The Night Before Christmas, the famous 1823 Christmas poem that helped shape the modern image of Santa Claus.
The Little Match Girl
Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Match Girl is one of the saddest winter classics: a guide to its story, Christmas imagery and enduring meaning.
The Fir Tree by Hans Christian Andersen
A guide to Hans Christian Andersen's The Fir Tree, a melancholy Christmas tale about impatience, memory and failing to enjoy the moment you are living.
The Last Light on Holly Street
An original short Christmas story about an old string of lights, a quiet street and the small traditions that survive when everything else changes.