There’s a certain feeling in the air. It’s starting to get a little colder, a little brighter and a little kinder. It must be Christmas!
Are you looking for books about Christmas to get you in the spirit of this festive holiday?
1. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Everybody knows the story of A Christmas Carol. Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his late business partner, Jacob Marley, one Christmas Eve. He warns Scrooge that he will never be happy as long as he stuck to his greedy ways and that he will be visited by three ghosts. Just as predicted, Scrooge is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past, who took him to his happy childhood, followed by the Ghost of Christmas Present, to the homes of his nephew and employee, and the Ghost of Christmas Future, who showed him a grim and unforgiving future. It is enough to scare Scrooge, and he becomes a different man, a kind, generous and compassionate man who embodies the spirit of Christmas.
2. The Polar Express by Chris van Allsburg
A little boy waits for the sounds of Santa’s sleigh one Christmas Eve, but instead, he hears the sound of a train coming. He goes out of the house, and the train’s conductor invites him for a ride on The Polar Express. Inside, he finds other children, in their pajamas, drinking hot chocolate. The train reaches the North Pole, and they discover all the elves gathered in a circle waiting for Santa Claus to start his Christmas journey. Before Santa leaves, he picks the boy to receive the first Christmas gift. He chooses the silver bell on Santa’s sleigh. Santa gives it to him, and he is devastated when, upon coming home that night, he loses the bell. The next day he wakes up, and his sister finds a small gift box for him. He opens it and discovers the bell inside. This bell will remind him to believe in the spirit of Christmas, even when others don’t.
3. The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum
The Life And Adventures of Santa Claus is a fantasy story imagining the life of Santa Claus from the time he was a kid until the “present time”. As a baby, he was found in the Forest of Burzee by Ak, Master Woodsman of the World, and raised by fairies, wood nymphs, gnomes and knooks. When he becomes an adult, Ak tells him he cannot stay in Burzee anymore and has to live amongst the mortals, since he is also a mortal. He resides in the Laughing Valley of Hohaho, where the immortals still get to visit him. In Hohaho, he became known as a man who always is kind to children. He starts making toys and giving them to the children in the village. But a group of evil beings called the Awgwas start to wreak havoc on the children. Santa begins to travel by night and deliver the toys through the chimney. Ak declares war on the Awgwas and wipes them out. Santa continues to deliver the toys to children peacefully. But when Santa turns 60, the disadvantages of his mortality begin to show, as he is nearing the end of his life. That’s when Ak and the other Immortal Kings decide to bless him with immortality so he can continue his acts of kindness.
Tune in for more books on Christmas!
