Reading seasonal stories has become my December tradition. Never quite as many as during the Great Christmas Book Binge of 2014, when I read 15 Christmas-themed books, but enough that I’ve amassed quite a reading list. Most are Christmas-themed, because it's the holiday I celebrate. But I also read and loved a Hanukkah classic by Isaac Bashevis Singer and the short story collection "My True Love Gave to Me," which features stories around a range of winter holidays.
As a third child, I’m a good sharer, thus I give you my ever-growing list of 27 (for now) stories to celebrate the season (except the one by Maugham, which is profoundly depressing and supremely unsettling). The list includes classics, a romantic comedy, short stories, murder mysteries, children’s books, a poem, and nonfiction.
Which have you read? Any favorites not on the list? Let me know in the comments!
Classics
“At Christmas Time” by Anton Chekhov
“Miracle on 34th Street” by Valentine Davies
“A Child’s Christmas in Wales” by Dylan Thomas
“Christmas at Thompson Hall and Other Christmas Stories” by Anthony Trollope
“The Night Before Christmas” by Nikolai Gogo
“A Merry Christmas and Other Christmas Stories” by Louisa May Alcott
“A Christmas Memory” by Truman Capote
“The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry
“A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens
“Christmas Holiday” by W. Somerset Maugham
Romantic comedy
“Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe” by Jenny Colgan
"Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery" by Jenny Colgan
Murder mysteries
“A Highland Christmas” by M. C. Beaton
“Mistletoe Murder” by Leslie Meier
“Hercule Poirot’s Christmas” by Agatha Christie
“The Nightingale Before Christmas” by Donna Andrews
Children's literature (and one poem)
“Letters from Father Christmas" by J. R. R. Tolkien
“The Power of Light: Eight Stories for Hanukkah” by Isaac Bashevis Singer
“The Dolls' Christmas" by Tasha Tudor
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” by Charles M. Shultz
“A Visit from St. Nicholas” by Clement C. Moore
Short stories
“My True Love Gave to Me” by Stephanie Perkins
Nonfiction
“Inventing Scrooge: The Incredible True Story Behind Charles Dickens’ Legendary ‘A Christmas Carol’” by Carlo DeVito
“Holidays on Ice” by David Sedaris (includes a mix of fiction and nonfiction)
“The 13th Gift: A True Story of a Christmas Miracle” by Joanne Huist Smith
"Christmas on Jane Street" by Billy Romp and Wanda Urbanksa