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Chicken Soup for the Soul: It's Christmas!: 101 Joyful Stories about the Love, Fun, and Wonder of the Holidays

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It’s Christmas! And that means it’s time to take a break with these 101 magical stories!

Share the love, fun, and wonder of the holidays with your whole family. You’ll all enjoy these 101 lighthearted and inspirational stories about holiday mishaps, family reunions, Christmas miracles, the joy of children, and the true meaning of Christmas. And there are plenty of stories about dogs and cats too, whether they’re stealing the turkey or making the holiday extra special. Every story is “Santa-safe” as well, appropriate for all ages.

416 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 2013

27 people are currently reading
253 people want to read

About the author

Jack Canfield

1,286 books1,749 followers
Jack Canfield is an American motivational speaker and author. He is best known as the co-creator of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" book series, which currently has over 124 titles and 100 million copies in print in over 47 languages. According to USA Today, Canfield and his writing partner, Mark Victor Hansen, were the top-selling authors in the United States in 1997.

Canfield received a BA in Chinese History from Harvard University and a Masters from University of Massachusetts. He has worked as a teacher, a workshop facilitator, and a psychotherapist.

Canfield is the founder of "Self Esteem Seminars" in Santa Barbara, and "The Foundation for Self Esteem" in Culver City, California. The stated mission of Self Esteem Seminars is to train entrepreneurs, educators, corporate leaders and employees to achieve their personal and professional goals. The focus of The Foundation for Self Esteem is to train social workers, welfare recipients and human resource professionals.

In 1990,he shared with author Mark Victor Hansen his idea for the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. After three years, the two had compiled sixty-eight stories.

Canfield has appeared on numerous television shows, including Good Morning America, 20/20, Eye to Eye, CNN's Talk Back Live, PBS, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Montel Williams Show, Larry King Live and the BBC.

Canfield's most recent book, The Success Principles (2005), shares 64 principles that he claims can make people more successful. In 2006, he appeared in the DVD, "The Secret," and shared his insights on the Law of Attraction and tips for achieving success in personal and professional life.

Jack Canfield was born on August 19, 1944, in Fort Worth, TX. He is the son of Elmer and Ellen (a homemaker; maiden name, Taylor). He attended high school at Linsly Military Institute, Wheeling, WV, 1962. He went to college at Harvard University, B.A., 1966; University of Massachusetts at Amherst, M.Ed., 1973. Canfield married Judith Ohlbaum in 1971 (divorced, November 1976); he married Georgia Lee Noble on September 9, 1978 (divorced, December 1999); he married Inga Marie Mahoney on July 4, 2001; children: (first marriage) Oran, David, Kyle, Dania; (second marriage) Christopher Noble. He is a Democrat and a Christian, and his hobbies include tennis, travel, skiing, running, billiards, reading, and guitar.

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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Loraine.
3,450 reviews
October 31, 2015
SUMMARY: This collection of 101 festive holiday stories will warm readers’ hearts and spread the wonder of the holiday season with its tales of love, joy, and awe. A fantastic holiday gift and a great way to start the season!

Christmas is an exciting and joyous time of year, a time of family, friends, and traditions. You will delight in reading the 101 merry and heartwarming stories about holiday traditions, family, and goodwill. Remember, all our stories are “Santa safe” so they can be enjoyed by the whole family.

REVIEW: Another delightful Chicken Soup for the Soul. Divided into 10 different categories, the short 2 or 3 page Christmas stories are shared by all different people and cover everything from Christmas disasters, pets at Christmas, pranks at Christmas and more. This would be a wonderful book to share a couple of stories each night during the holidays with the whole family. Definitely puts you in the Christmas spirit.

Profile Image for David Caldwell.
1,673 reviews35 followers
December 22, 2014
Another collection of 101 stories by real people that will in turn inspire or entertain all but the most Scrooge-like Grinches. The theme of the stories are all related to Christmas. All of the stories are just a few pages, so you can read one or two in your spare moments.

I felt like I was part of one of the tales this holiday season. I lost my father on October 14th this year. My mom was scheduled to have knee surgery that same day. Needless to say, her operation was postponed. She got it done at the beginning of December. This meant, she was going to be on a walker until right before Christmas. She wouldn't be able to do a lot of her normal Christmas preparations. With the help of my siblings, we have tried to pick up as much of the preparations as we could from my mom. But between my not-so-great health and their jobs, it has still been a challenge. The final thing is that my dog (it belongs to my mom and me actually) had a stroke and had to be put to sleep. We ended up burying him exactly 2 months after we had buried my dad. Needless to say, there have been a lot more tears than normal this season. But while reading these stories, I was reminded of a few simple things. It doesn't matter if everything isn't the same as previous years and we have to skip a tradition here or there. What matters is that the family is all gathering. While there also be some empty spots caused by loved ones being gone, they will still be there in our hearts.

So for me these stories helped to make a difficult time, less difficult.
Profile Image for Brent Soderstrum.
1,645 reviews22 followers
October 6, 2025
I used this as my daily devotional. It contains 101 stories that individuals submitted about Christmas. I thought it would contain more Jesus and God. They were all fun stories about families' celebration of the Christmas season, be it with family or friends.

They were all interesting and prepared me for the Christmas season. Just wanted more God.
1,303 reviews10 followers
December 23, 2018
I have always found these books - Chicken Soup for the Soul - exceptional stories to read.

I have several of the books. This one is all Christmas related stories. Some I had a good chuckle,
some I shed some tears. I have shared some of the stories with my family and friends.

Profile Image for Michele.
311 reviews
December 26, 2018
101 short stories about the spirit of Christmas - Chicken Soup for the Soul series.
Profile Image for Sandy.
1,157 reviews
July 6, 2023
Always a good read when I need short stories to fill time.
Profile Image for Ashley.
Author 1 book34 followers
February 3, 2017
A great collection of stories that reminds you what the true spirit of Christmas is about . My favorite is the very first story whose lesson is that you always have something to give whether it is money, a gift, affection and so forth . You always got something to give .
Profile Image for LaQuita.
116 reviews5 followers
November 20, 2013
Chicken Soup for the Soul: It's Christmas gives you over 100 short stories about love, fun and stories about the Holidays. This is definitely one of my favorite times of the year. I enjoy getting together with my family and friends and sharing memories and stories with one another. With this book I was able to relate to a few stories, laugh at some and tear up reading some of the stories.

It's a great book with filled with amazing stories that will inspire you and get you in the Holiday spirit. Whether or not you have five minutes free or more, you can enjoy this book wherever you are. I love that I can read a few different stories as I wait for my kids at a doctor's appointment or while sipping on tea on a rainy day. Each story is broken down into different sections that are listed in the table of contents. You have stories under The Naughty List, Making Memories, Bittersweet Christmas and more. Definitely a great book to read over the Holidays that will have you being thankful for your life and the people in it.
Profile Image for Adrianna.
6 reviews
December 7, 2015
It's a good book, each story captures attention, but some of them dragged on to long. I lost interest in a couple because to much detail about one thing was given and not enough detail on the main story.
10 reviews
January 2, 2014
Needed a little pick me up before the holidays, but this is not a book I could actually read cover to cover.
Profile Image for Kai Hunter.
594 reviews
September 7, 2014
Very satisfying to my love of Christmas stories. Like most Chicken Soup for the Souls I cried my way through it. And yes, they saved the best for last.
Profile Image for Rebecca.
59 reviews1 follower
Read
December 29, 2015
A great collection of heart warming Christmas stories.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews

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