Christmas Short Stories Anthology

Papa was a great storyteller, and his daughter wouldn’t settle for recycled tales. While Papa was not interested in telling stories he was badgered enough to come up with a whopper. Prepare to smile, and to wonder what it would really be like if it were Christmas every day - at least the way we often celebrate it.

Christmas is not in the lights, nor the gifts, nor the glittering decorations—it is in the hands that give, the hearts that open, the kindness that expects nothing in return. A Christmas Inspiration is a tale that shimmers with the quiet beauty of generosity, a story where one small act of warmth illuminates the season far brighter than any candle. With Montgomery's signature grace, the narrative unfolds like freshly fallen snow—soft, luminous, and filled with the hush of something deeply, unmistakably good.

"It's the most wonderful time of the year," the old song tells us. But that doesn't mean the people celebrating it are always so nice. Criminals get the Christmas spirit, too! In this collection of hilarious short stories, you'll see what the thieves, killers, psychos and scumbags are up to come the holidays...and it's not caroling door to door. Well, not unless they're casing the neighborhood for a break-in, as a rag-tag gang does in the title story.

In "A Christmas Dream, and How It Came True", 10-year-old Effie lives a comfortable life and experiences Christmases filled with delicious treats and wonderful toys. One night she has a dream that forever changes the meaning of Christmas for her. Encountering a group of underprivileged children, she is inspired to give them a Christmas they will never forget.

Whether Christmas is a time of unbridled joy, a season of past reflections, or an ordeal to be endured until the return to normalcy after the New Year, its impact is pervasive in most of our lives. Everyone's feelings are super sensitized, every emotion is heightened. The happy become giddy, the sad become despondent, the lonely become lonelier – unless, yes unless – the magic of Christmas has its way. So it is for the characters in these stories.

Here is the preface to 12 magnificent stories, originally part of The John Cheever Audio Collection, in which John Cheever celebrates - with unequaled grace and tenderness - the deepest feelings we have.

A holiday classic by Charles Dickens. Originally published in 1843, Dickens worried about the disparity between the wealthy and the impoverished, and it was his attempt to bring this disparity into the light of day, to appeal to the die-hard capitalists to take care of the downtrodden masses. Since this inequity continues, this story is still popular, and will probably continue to be so for the foreseeable future.

Christmas is the season the Gingerbread Café was made for, and Lil has every recipe down, from gingerbread men to cinnamon muffins. So when gorgeous outsider Damon opens a shop opposite the Gingerbread Café in the lead up to Christmas, Lil refuses to let him steal her customers without a fight - no matter how much he makes her heart flutter. When it comes to love, Lil’s never quite got the method right! But as the snow begins to fall, it looks like this time deviating from the recipe might just lead Lil to the magic ingredient she’s been missing all along.

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.

Five entertaining audio readings of best-loved children’s festive stories for children of three years and over to enjoy at Christmas.

One of the many joys of Christmas comes from the traditions associated with it. Best-selling author Caroline Kennedy drew on her own family's traditions to create this charming collection of favorite stories, poems, and writings that celebrate the holiday spirit.

This delightful collection of Christmas stories includes the full-cast dramatization of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS DAY, and the holiday favorites THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL, ‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, and THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER.

A brand new collection of five festive love and romance stories for the holiday season. "The Northern Lights": Her callous husband leaves her soon after the death of her mother, and mistakes are becoming apparent at work. Megan decides it's time to take a Christmas vacation to follow her lifelong dream of seeing the Northern Lights - not anticipating the special care and attention she would receive from the owner of the resort.

Flagged down by Inspector LaStrade of Scotland Yard as they walk through the icy winter streets, Holmes and Watson are transported to the home of the aristocratic Lady Whitebread. Once there, she tells them her traditional holiday centerpiece has vanished in the midst of the Christmas dinner - right under the very noses of her guests. The decoration? An enormous work of the jeweler's art centered upon a three inch round emerald called...the Christmas Jewel.

Megan Jenkins isn’t looking forward to Christmas. The holidays will forevermore remind her of what she had and lost. Her husband, and love of her life, died a few days after Christmas the year before, leaving her a young widow with a fatherless son to raise. During the course of this Christmas Eve, Megan experiences her own Christmas Miracle as she learns the true meaning of giving with the help of Kevin Murdock, a long-time friend who’s always been there for her.

Christmas is being celebrated in style at Purley Hall in Hampshire because renowned actress, Dame Pamela Harcourt is holding a special Jane Austen conference. Everybody's there: Katherine and Warwick, Robyn and Dan, Kay, Adam and Gemma, and Sarah and Mia. Oh, and Mrs. Soames.

Christmas is the perfect time of year to fall in love; especially if you're a specter or a retail employee, that is. At Holiday Falls Mall, love blooms in sweet and spooky ways for four shop employees during the holiday season. This collection features two stories from queer romance writer Imogen Markwell-Tweed, and two stories from sweet romance writer Wendy Dalrymple for a unique, intertwined anthology of paranormal romance novelettes.

It's Christmas at Camelot and that can only mean one thing...an eerie adventure is about to begin! Grab a cup of mead, sit back and enjoy this famous Christmas short story told like never before.

Christmas, the happiest time of year. Plum puddings, candy canes, carols by the fireside. But outside, the mist lies deep and still. Frost gnaws at your fingertips. Shadowy forms lurk in the evergreens. It’s the season for ghost stories.

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.