Christmas Short Stories Anthology

A hot holiday toy that brings terror to a department store. A man caught in a blizzard as he searches for help for a dying friend. A girl who wakes up to surprise visitors on Día de los Muertos. A man who recounts a sick and twisted Thanksgiving. A boy who becomes intrigued by a mysterious house and the girl who resides there during fall break. A family man who struggles with a dilemma that may cost him his soul.

It’s two days before Christmas - and Evie Harris finds herself both man-less and jobless. After a chance encounter with handsome Greg (and egged on by her toy-boy-eating friend, Bea) she agrees to work at a homeless shelter on Christmas Day. Striking up an unlikely friendship with homeless Yves, Evie begins an unwitting journey of spiritual awakening, all set against the sparkling winter backdrop of London landmarks.

Cami McClure is spending the holidays with her best friend, Genie Wainwright Taylor, in Hawaii. Will Cami find love in paradise, or will it slip through her fingers?

Attorney Desiree Contando can think of only one word to describe her very first home: disaster. The vintage Queen Anne is beautiful - or will be, in about 1,000 years. Certainly not in time to host the family Christmas gathering. “Disaster” also describes the bad breakup that left her picket-fence vision in tatters. Even the carpenter she’s hired is a reminder of lost dreams - the high school crush who never spared her a passing glance. But she’s a grown-up now, perfectly capable of keeping things professional.

Advent and Christmas are my favorite times of the year, with the coming celebration of the birth of Christ. However, the older I get, the more I have come to realize that Christ has been relegated to third or perhaps fourth place behind toys, decorations, and commercialism. I wanted to create a series of stories that might bring the true reason for the season back to its place of importance. These whimsical, multicultural tales evoke the timeless human needs of love, companionship, and purpose in life that are promised in the birth of a baby at Christmas.

The holidays have arrived in Avalon, Illinois and everyone is filled with festive cheer. Well, maybe not everyone. The husbands of Avalon have started a Bah Humbug Club. A neighborhood cookie exchange wreaks havoc on Erin Meeks' carefully planned life. Melvin O'Malley's daughter has abandoned him for the holidays in a senior facility, and shop owner Margot West is intent on creating the best holiday shopping experience for her customers when a stranger threatens to ruin it. But a few surprises await them as well.

An anthology of writings for the Christmas season from the pen of Charles Dickens.

Never before collected in one volume, here are Pete Hamill's stories about Brooklyn, the borough in which he was born and grew up, and the one closest to his heart. A young boy with a mysterious past forever transforms the lives of the neighborhood toughs. A man returns to his old haunts to avenge the death of his brother. A couple chooses to embrace their memories of a bygone era rather than live in a diminished future. These are stories of a New York almost lost but not forgotten.

Ten-year-old Effie lives the life most children dream of - with every day filled with delicious treats and wonderful toys. One night she experiences a dream that will forever change the meaning of Christmas for her. In it, she meets a group of under privileged children and she is inspired to create a Christmas they will never forget.

Having lost the man she loved early on, Crystal vowed to live freely for the rest of her life. But, after her business is threatened due to theft, she hires a private financial investigator to plug the leak. Falling for the tall, dark, and very serious stranger was certain, what she hadn’t expected was for it to be true love. Rory has lived a life of the straight and narrow, he’s always been an eye on the prize, kind of guy. The prize? Retirement in the tropics where doesn’t have to worry or work. Sure, he was prepared to take some hits to achieve the goal, mainly his health, relationships, and his state of mind. Now this new-age hippy woman wants him to relax. But, he’s got a job to do, if his heart doesn’t betray him first.

From the internationally best-selling author of The Alchemist comes The Pine Tree at St. Martin, a never-before-published Christmas parable for the ages. Fans of Paulo Coelho will immediately recognize the master storyteller's incomparable voice, and will treasure this story's simplicity and poignancy for many Christmas seasons to come.

It is the same old story of the struggle between the old and the new. This tale, portrayed in the dark detail of the eighth-century, tells of old foresters, who desire to cling to the past, and a bright, young Christian who comes to teach them about the birth of Christ.

'Rumpole and the Christmas Party' sees Rumpole celebrating with his Chambers colleagues and their wives and partners. There is plenty of claret, paper streamers and mistletoe, but where is She Who Must Be Obeyed? Bill Wallis reads this special seasonal story starring Horace Rumpole, scourge of all QCs and friend of the criminal classes.

A dazzling selection of 30 short stories from the world's best loved storyteller. Get ready for snowball fights and sleigh rides in this collection of 30 classic short stories from Enid Blyton, celebrating the magic and excitement of winter. These fun, entertaining stories are ideal for newly confident listeners and are the perfect length for listening to at bedtime or in the classroom. Enid Blyton remains one of Britain's favourite children's authors, and her bumper short-story collections are perfect for introducing her to the latest generation of listeners.

Rumpole and the Health Farm Murder finds the corpulent barrister spending a most untypical Christmas at a health spa, where he is gloomily trying to survive on a not-so-festive diet of yak's milk and steamed spinach. He is soon enlivened, however, when a murder is committed and he is asked to represent the chief suspect. Bill Wallis reads this special seasonal story starring Horace Rumpole, scourge of all QCs and friend of the criminal classes.

Random House presents the audiobook edition of Father Christmas's Fake Beard by Terry Pratchett, read by Julian Rhind-Tutt. Have you ever wanted Christmas to be different? Turkey and carols, presents and crackers - they all start to feel a bit...samey. How about a huge exploding mince pie, a pet abominable snowman, or a very helpful partridge in a pear tree? What if Father Christmas went to work at a zoo, or caused chaos in a toy store, or was even arrested for burglary!

Some mistakes carve wounds. Others, however, carve paths—twisting, unexpected roads that lead straight to the heart of what truly matters. In A Christmas Mistake, Montgomery paints a holiday tale where a simple misunderstanding reshapes lives in ways neither regret nor logic could predict. The charm of this story lies in its warmth, its humanity, and the quiet wisdom that sometimes, what seems like misfortune is nothing more than fate wrapped in disguise.

Seth Hardin is devoted to his career as a Navy SEAL, but his ex couldn't handle the pressures of being a military wife. Now he's resigned to spending the holidays alone, until he gets snowed in with Maria Hoskins and finds there are far greater gifts than just the material kind.

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.

'Rumpole and the Old Familiar Faces' finds the claret-loving barrister spending Christmas in chilly Coldsands, staying with an old school friend of Hilda. When he is introduced to the new owner of the Old Manor House, he is surprised to realize that they've met before in more unsavoury circumstances. And Donald Compton's is by no means the only familiar face Rumpole will encounter during this particular festive period.