Christmas Short Stories Anthology

In Rumpole and Father Christmas, a children's party is taking place in Chambers, and Claude Erskine-Brown has booked a 'genuine and convincing' Santa Claus. The gentleman in question does indeed have a red suit, a fuller figure and a snowy beard - but does he have more than just presents in his sack? Bill Wallis reads this special seasonal story starring Horace Rumpole, scourge of all QCs and friend of the criminal classes.

Reimagining each of the traditional carol's gifts, and written in tribute to Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer, The Twelve Days of Christmas is a collection of festive tales filled with seasonal cheer and heart-warming characters. Will the challenges and mysteries that the Viscount’s guests encounter be resolved by the night of the ball?

Whether you've been naughty or nice, Santa has a treat just for you. Replete with visions of sugar plums, big juicy candy canes, and stockings eager to be filled, The Merry XXXmas Book of Erotica is a campy, blazing-hot feast of holiday erotica that will have you wishing the season of giving lasted all year long. Among these stories, Lynne Jamneck’s "What I Really Want for Christmas” is a tale of friendship igniting to passion with the help of an interfering family, good whiskey, and a Santa suit.

Being the only mortal in a world of magical elves isn’t easy for Chrissy Star, especially at Christmastime. Feeling as if she’s in the way, she escapes Christmas Town and her duties as CFO for a week long vacation on a Greece isle. If she could have her Christmas wish, she’d meet a man who would not only heat up her love life, but understand her unusual family. Nick Christopoulus has met Chrissy before, but a lot has changed in five years.

These two stories "Black Jack" and "Christmas on Liberty Square" have been available separately for some time. Publishing them together brings a discounted price for the listener interested in purchasing both.

American author Washington Irving is known for his legendary tales like Sleepy Hollow, but also as the great architect behind how Americans now perceive Christmas. In his 1819 collection, The Sketch Book, he devotes one story to a reflection on the meaning of Christmas and its celebration. The story’s protagonist reflects on how its ancient rituals may have vanished almost completely, but that the warmth of togetherness will still prevail for those who welcome it.

Outshone by a gregarious stepsister and overbearing stepmother, Lady Athena Cummins is used to fading into the shadows. Beloved only by her youngest sister, Persephone, Athena has accepted her destiny as a spinster. But Persephone has a different scheme in mind, and conspires to send Athena out for one night of fun at Lord Finchley’s masquerade Christmas Ball. The masked beauty catches the Lord’s eye but, determined to avoid the wrath of her stepsister, Athena leads Lord Finchley on a wild chase to discover her true identity.

This audiobook includes two short stories from celebrated Russian author Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (1821 - 1881). "White Nights" (1848) features a nameless and lonely narrator who, though he resides in a big city, lives largely in his own head. In "The Heavenly Christmas Tree", an orphaned boy who is shunned by society is surprised to awaken before a beautiful Christmas tree; however, the scene is not what it seems. Please note: This audiobook is in Russian.

With her husband, Ebenezer, now 'doornail dead', the coldest Christmas Eve on record finds Mrs Scrooge outside the supermarket, protesting against consumerism and waste. 'Spoilsport!' shout the passersby as they load up their shopping carts with Christmas goodies. Just as Ebenezer did, Mrs Scrooge keeps to her frugal ways...but with the current state of the world, perhaps Mrs Scrooge has the right idea.

Lose yourself in this warm and wonderful collection of short stories from bestselling Irish storyteller Cathy Kelly. From weddings and summer holidays to Christmas with uninvited family or long-lost friends returning, this anthology captures the hopes, tears, laughter and loves of all kinds of women and their families and friends with Cathy’ s inimitable warmth.

No one wants to celebrate Christmas this year. Not Ella McKendrick, who, on the cusp of success as a potter, is tasked with her husband's company party on too-short notice. She gives up her first pottery sale to pitch in, but the joy of the season is diminished. Not Gertie Wycliffe, Ella's mom, a new widow who is doing everything she can to avoid her first Christmas alone. No one understands the grief and terror she feels - maybe because the craziness of a 74-year-old woman signing up for skydiving lessons is all she lets them see....

At Christmas time department stores overflow with color and festivity, their halls bedecked with the trimmings of the season. In these 7 charming, memorable, and even magical Christmas tales retiree Tom Cavanaugh wanders the aisles of just such a store. Tom has made a tradition out of observing the marvels the Christmas spirit brings to each department and the people in them, from a jolly old maintenance man to testy last-minute shoppers to an exhausted salesclerk.

It’s Christmas Eve, and nine passengers onboard a small Cessna jet are about to get the holiday surprise of their lives! When their plane goes down in the Mojave desert, these nine strangers from all walks of life must find a way to work together in order to survive.

Down at the Front, on a cold winter's night in 1914, amidst the worst war the world had ever seen, an inexplicable silence spread from man to man. Belief was in the air. Then the soldiers ceased fire and the magic of Christmas took hold....

Jessie lived with her family on their homestead and had helped the family build a successful farm raising crops and animals. Her greatest joy and passion was for training her young mare and galloping across the plains. To her shock and dismay, her family agrees to an arranged marriage with a wealthy family who traveled from back East to do business in their town.

When Talia's father makes a shocking revelation over dinner one night, she feels as though her life has just been leveled by a mortar blast. As she struggles to fit the pieces of her life back together, she turns inward, refusing help from those who love her the most, including Jack. Can she learn to forgive the father who raised her single-handedly? Will she open up to the man who loves her? Will Jack find the patience to go the distance, or will he resort to his old coping mechanisms and leave his family behind?

Sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. The novella met with instant success and critical acclaim. A Christmas Carol has never been out of print and has been adapted to film, opera, and other media.

From the twice CWA Dagger shortlisted author of The Twelve Strange Days of Christmas come 12 never-before-published stories to transport you to the macabre world of inexplicable phenomena. With returning characters from the Essex Witch Museum series and a weirdly wonderful tale for each day of Christmas, these spooky stories are the perfect companion for long, dark winter nights.

Tradition is just another ritual, and rituals are written to be remembered. Be careful which rituals you practice, my friend, for they call out to things well hidden...to horrors best left unknown.

Curl up with this sparkling collection of Christmas stories from the world's best-loved storyteller. Perfect for children aged five and up! Embrace the spirit of Christmas with tales of magic and wishes galore in this heart-warming collection. From a dog who discovers the joy of Christmas to Santa Claus who gets himself out of a muddle with a little help from his friends, these stories celebrate shared times, festivities and wonder.