Reading during the festive period is a wonderful way to get into the Christmas spirit and enjoy the delights of the holiday season. We have compiled a list of endearing short stories, children’s fairy tales and epic novels that are guaranteed to warm your heart and bring back the thrill of Christmas even amidst the Pandemic.
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
A Christmas Carol has always been the quintessential classic Christmas book for generations. The book takes you on a larger-than-life journey with Mr. Scrooge, a man who hates Christmas and all that it represents. But everything changes for Scrooge when three ghosts visit to retell the stories of his past, present and future.
- Christmas Treats, a collection of 29 short stories by Enid Blyton
Take a trip down memory lane with this nostalgic book describing the excitement and anticipation of gifts, the pleasures of making Christmas delicacies & special food, of singing carols, and coming together to share good times with friends and families.
- How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
This classic Christmas story by Dr. Seuss is a heart-warming tale about the Christmas spirit and its effects. It is a delightful and a classic read that you can never miss out on. The story is about the Grinch, who hates Christmas and the holiday season. So he plans to steal Christmas from the people of Whoville but there’s a bigger surprise in store for him. This evergreen story is suitable for readers of all age groups and apt for the festive season.
- The Gift by Cecelia Ahern
If you could wish for one gift this Christmas, what would it be? This book by Cecelia Ahern revolves around Lou Suffern, who wishes he could be at two places at the same time, and Gabe, a homeless man who changes Lou’s life forever.
- The Night Before Christmas by Nikolai Gogol
The novel weaves the tale of a blacksmith who battles the devil for the soul of a beautiful woman. The Night Before Christmas is still read aloud to children on Christmas Eve in Ukraine and Russia. It is an interesting Christmas tale with a combination of reality and fantasy.
- Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva
Samantha Silva pens down a comical and haunting offshoot tale based on the man who wrote A Christmas Carol. The novel is a tender and loving tribute to Charles Dickens as Ms Silva tells her version of the story on how “A Christmas Carol” came to be.
- The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen
The Snow Queen is an original fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It is from where the Frozen took its cues from Gerda and Kay, the characters at the center of Andersen’s story of good, evil, and deep snow. Along with the evocative imagery of winter, there is a very emotional and spiritual love story.
- The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
O.Henry’s “Gifts of the Magi” is one of the most exciting and inspiring stories of love and self-sacrifice, of what is truly valuable today. In the biblical story of Christmas, the Magi, the ancient sages who brought gifts to the Infant in the manger, introduced the custom of exchanging gifts. The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry follows a married couple trying to navigate the Christmastime gift exchange on a seriously tight shoestring budget. And it ends, of course, with the signature irony O. Henry is famous for.
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott’s novel begins with the March sisters enduring their first Christmas without their father and ends a year later when he returns on Christmas Day. It is a timeless classic that you’ll surely enjoy.
- Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle
Let It Snow is a YA romance in three parts, written by three genre masters: New York Times bestseller Maureen Johnson, The Fault in Our Stars’ John Green, and — last but not least — Lauren Myracle. Merging all their imagination and verve, this dynamic trio braids together three separately short stories to create a single, delightfully cozy reading experience. And if the book isn’t enough, its charming Netflix adaptation is only a click away.