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A Literary Christmas: An Anthology
For as long as Christmas has been celebrated, poets and writers have sought to explore every aspect of it, from the story of the nativity to the festive traditions families worldwide have established over the centuries. And such works have forever changed the way we think about the holiday. Where would Christmas be today without Ebenezer Scrooge or “Twas the Night Before Christmas?
A Literary Christmas is a seasonal compendium that collects poems, short stories, and prose by some of the greatest poets and writers in the English language. Like Charles Dickens’s Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present, the selections featured here are representative of times old and new. Readers will enjoy a convivial Christmas Day with Samuel Pepys, Anthony Trollope, George Eliot, and Nancy Mitford; venture out into the snow in the company of Jane Austen, Henry James, and Charles Dickens’s ever-popular Mr. Pickwick; and warm up by the fire with the seasonal tales of Dylan Thomas, Kenneth Grahame, and Oscar Wilde.
As a companion to the book, A Literary Christmas is also being released as a two-CD set, featuring readings of many of the same poems and prose extracts from the book.
An entertaining and instructive way to survey great literature, A Literary Christmas is the perfect gift for anyone seeking to start their own literary Christmas traditions.
A Literary Christmas is a seasonal compendium that collects poems, short stories, and prose by some of the greatest poets and writers in the English language. Like Charles Dickens’s Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present, the selections featured here are representative of times old and new. Readers will enjoy a convivial Christmas Day with Samuel Pepys, Anthony Trollope, George Eliot, and Nancy Mitford; venture out into the snow in the company of Jane Austen, Henry James, and Charles Dickens’s ever-popular Mr. Pickwick; and warm up by the fire with the seasonal tales of Dylan Thomas, Kenneth Grahame, and Oscar Wilde.
As a companion to the book, A Literary Christmas is also being released as a two-CD set, featuring readings of many of the same poems and prose extracts from the book.
An entertaining and instructive way to survey great literature, A Literary Christmas is the perfect gift for anyone seeking to start their own literary Christmas traditions.
151 pages, Hardcover
First published October 15, 2013
71 people are currently reading
1288 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 202 reviews
November 29, 2022
If you want a good Christmas read I highly recommend A Literary Christmas An Anthology. It has poems and short excerpts by Charles Dickens, John Donne, John Milton, Louisa May Alcott, G.K.Chesterton, Christina Rossetti, Thomas Hardy, Robert Louis Stevenson, Charlotte and Anne Bronte, and others. My favorite piece is this poignant poem below by Anne Bronte about The Incarnation called "Music On Christmas Morning"
MUSIC ON CHRISTMAS MORNING. ~ Anne Bronte
MUSIC I love–but never strain
Could kindle raptures so divine,
So grief assuage, so conquer pain,
And rouse this pensive heart of mine–
As that we hear on Christmas morn,
Upon the wintry breezes borne.
Though Darkness still her empire keep,
And hours must pass, ere morning break;
From troubled dreams, or slumbers deep,
That music kindly bids us wake:
It calls us, with an angel's voice,
To wake, and worship, and rejoice;
To greet with joy the glorious morn,
Which angels welcomed long ago,
When our redeeming Lord was born,
To bring the light of Heaven below;
The Powers of Darkness to dispel,
And rescue Earth from Death and Hell.
While listening to that sacred strain,
My raptured spirit soars on high;
I seem to hear those songs again
Resounding through the open sky,
That kindled such divine delight,
In those who watched their flocks by night.
With them, I celebrate His birth–
Glory to God, in highest Heaven,
Good-will to men, and peace on Earth,
To us a Saviour-king is given;
Our God is come to claim His own,
And Satan's power is overthrown!
A sinless God, for sinful men,
Descends to suffer and to bleed;
Hell must renounce its empire then;
The price is paid, the world is freed,
And Satan's self must now confess,
That Christ has earned a Right to bless:
Now holy Peace may smile from heaven,
And heavenly Truth from earth shall spring:
The captive's galling bonds are riven,
For our Redeemer is our king;
And He that gave his blood for men
Will lead us home to God again."- Anne Bronte
MUSIC ON CHRISTMAS MORNING. ~ Anne Bronte
MUSIC I love–but never strain
Could kindle raptures so divine,
So grief assuage, so conquer pain,
And rouse this pensive heart of mine–
As that we hear on Christmas morn,
Upon the wintry breezes borne.
Though Darkness still her empire keep,
And hours must pass, ere morning break;
From troubled dreams, or slumbers deep,
That music kindly bids us wake:
It calls us, with an angel's voice,
To wake, and worship, and rejoice;
To greet with joy the glorious morn,
Which angels welcomed long ago,
When our redeeming Lord was born,
To bring the light of Heaven below;
The Powers of Darkness to dispel,
And rescue Earth from Death and Hell.
While listening to that sacred strain,
My raptured spirit soars on high;
I seem to hear those songs again
Resounding through the open sky,
That kindled such divine delight,
In those who watched their flocks by night.
With them, I celebrate His birth–
Glory to God, in highest Heaven,
Good-will to men, and peace on Earth,
To us a Saviour-king is given;
Our God is come to claim His own,
And Satan's power is overthrown!
A sinless God, for sinful men,
Descends to suffer and to bleed;
Hell must renounce its empire then;
The price is paid, the world is freed,
And Satan's self must now confess,
That Christ has earned a Right to bless:
Now holy Peace may smile from heaven,
And heavenly Truth from earth shall spring:
The captive's galling bonds are riven,
For our Redeemer is our king;
And He that gave his blood for men
Will lead us home to God again."- Anne Bronte
December 23, 2020
A collection of Christmas poems, short stories and prose extracts from some of the best known writers of the English language. This anthology is split into sections, regaling everything from the traditional Christmas dinner, carol singing and the Nativity. It's a wonderful collection to get the reader into the Christmas spirit.
Some of my personal favourites are entries from Benjamin Zephaniah, P. G Wodehouse and perhaps the Kong of Christmas stories - Charles Dickens. I enjoyed the chance to sample a wide variety of writers works, and it's given me an interest in some new to me authors to look into further.
Some of my personal favourites are entries from Benjamin Zephaniah, P. G Wodehouse and perhaps the Kong of Christmas stories - Charles Dickens. I enjoyed the chance to sample a wide variety of writers works, and it's given me an interest in some new to me authors to look into further.
December 7, 2020
As corny as it sounds, I’ve literally been waiting to read this Literary Christmas anthology since March, when I got my sister to bring it back to Singapore from the UK for me. So you can just imagine my excitement levels when I finally got to crack open this book (some things need to be savoured in the Christmas season for maximum impact).
A Literary Christmas is a collection of Christmas stories (many excerpts from longer works) and poems. The collection is divided by topic, such as before Christmas, the Nativity, Christmas day, Christmas fare, etc. Writers that are in this collection (whom you may recognise), include:
- Samuel Pepys (featuring: his diary)
- Anne Bronte
- G.K. Chesterton
- Louise May Alcott (featuring: the March sisters)
- William Shakespare
- Jane Austen
- P.G. Wodehouse
and many more
Personally, I enjoyed this collection very much. I was familiar with some of the works here, but many were new to me. This is pretty much a collection that you can dip in and out of, and if you’re a fan of slightly older Western works, you will probably enjoy this.
To end this review, I want to share A Christmas Carol by G.K. Chesterton, one of the poems featured in this book:
The Christ-child lay on Mary’s lap,
His hair was like a light.
(O weary, weary were the world,
But here is all aright.)
The Christ-child lay on Mary’s breast
His hair was like a star.
(O stern and cunning are the kings,
But here the true hearts are.)
The Christ-child lay on Mary’s heart,
His hair was like a fire.
(O weary, weary is the world,
But here the world’s desire.)
The Christ-child stood on Mary’s knee,
His hair was like a crown,
And all the flowers looked up at Him,
And all the stars looked down
A Literary Christmas is a collection of Christmas stories (many excerpts from longer works) and poems. The collection is divided by topic, such as before Christmas, the Nativity, Christmas day, Christmas fare, etc. Writers that are in this collection (whom you may recognise), include:
- Samuel Pepys (featuring: his diary)
- Anne Bronte
- G.K. Chesterton
- Louise May Alcott (featuring: the March sisters)
- William Shakespare
- Jane Austen
- P.G. Wodehouse
and many more
Personally, I enjoyed this collection very much. I was familiar with some of the works here, but many were new to me. This is pretty much a collection that you can dip in and out of, and if you’re a fan of slightly older Western works, you will probably enjoy this.
To end this review, I want to share A Christmas Carol by G.K. Chesterton, one of the poems featured in this book:
The Christ-child lay on Mary’s lap,
His hair was like a light.
(O weary, weary were the world,
But here is all aright.)
The Christ-child lay on Mary’s breast
His hair was like a star.
(O stern and cunning are the kings,
But here the true hearts are.)
The Christ-child lay on Mary’s heart,
His hair was like a fire.
(O weary, weary is the world,
But here the world’s desire.)
The Christ-child stood on Mary’s knee,
His hair was like a crown,
And all the flowers looked up at Him,
And all the stars looked down
December 30, 2024
I received this as a Christmas gift in 2022 and have been impatiently waiting for Christmas to reappear so I could read it (as while it could be read at any point it really does manage to capture the spirit of Christmas making it perfect to read during the twelve days of festivities). It’s a great anthology full of poems, short stories, and clips taken from longer novels and diary entries dating back to Shakespeare and as present as Benjamin Zephaniah. Lots of treasures in this one!
January 5, 2020
A Literary Christmas is going on my list of annual reads. I love the carefully selected group of poems, short stories, and essays in this gorgeously designed book. They range from medieval to modern, secular to sacred, accompanied by beautiful artwork. It's an anthology one could easily complete over the Advent season, and varied enough to be read year after year. I'm so glad I was able to find a copy to add to our Christmas collection.
January 2, 2022
I was thrilled when I saw this book in our local bookshop and promptly bought it and then another
and have since bought several copies as gifts from Amazon. I have always wanted a good anthology
of Christmas Stories and Poems and this attractive book offered exactly that and from a wealth of
writers and poets. Here are all the usual suspects from Charles Dickens to P.G. Wodehouse but also
Jane Austen to Benjamin Zephaniah. And yet the majority of the writings are refreshing discoveries
for me.
'A Literary Christmas: An Anthology' should provide enjoyable reading over the Christmas Holiday and
is so well presented it is a book to treasure and return to each year.
The writings are shining gems. What an excellent present for Christmas for anyone who wants to read
great literature.
Let's face it The British Library would do this well, wouldn't they?!
Just wanted to add that the CDs are the perfect accompaniment. The book is great but with the CDs too
it's fantastic!
and have since bought several copies as gifts from Amazon. I have always wanted a good anthology
of Christmas Stories and Poems and this attractive book offered exactly that and from a wealth of
writers and poets. Here are all the usual suspects from Charles Dickens to P.G. Wodehouse but also
Jane Austen to Benjamin Zephaniah. And yet the majority of the writings are refreshing discoveries
for me.
'A Literary Christmas: An Anthology' should provide enjoyable reading over the Christmas Holiday and
is so well presented it is a book to treasure and return to each year.
The writings are shining gems. What an excellent present for Christmas for anyone who wants to read
great literature.
Let's face it The British Library would do this well, wouldn't they?!
Just wanted to add that the CDs are the perfect accompaniment. The book is great but with the CDs too
it's fantastic!
December 10, 2022
This is what I was looking for when I stumbled on that dreadful Children's Christmas Collection, or whatever it was!
Filled with excerpts from classics: The Pickwick Papers, The Mill on the Floss, poems, songs, and an entire Wodehouse tale, this was just the thing to get the Christmas mood started! It's divided into sections, and beautifully illustrated on thick paper with a lovely cover, so perfect for gifting as well!
Filled with excerpts from classics: The Pickwick Papers, The Mill on the Floss, poems, songs, and an entire Wodehouse tale, this was just the thing to get the Christmas mood started! It's divided into sections, and beautifully illustrated on thick paper with a lovely cover, so perfect for gifting as well!
December 29, 2016
A delightful collection. My favorite was the story from Orkney. I would have liked to have more "local" and traditional tales in the collection. Nevertheless, as a free gift from Audible, it fit the bill for an enjoyable holiday listen.
December 6, 2019
Ring out the tales which warm our souls
to divert us from opinion polls
and lead us gently t’ward yuletide
where joy is greatly multiplied
But what is this we find within
among the tales, to my chagrin
too much of rhyme and not of reason
a cloud upon this festive season.
to divert us from opinion polls
and lead us gently t’ward yuletide
where joy is greatly multiplied
But what is this we find within
among the tales, to my chagrin
too much of rhyme and not of reason
a cloud upon this festive season.
December 17, 2023
من نسخه ۲۰۱۴ این کتابو گیرآوردم که فقط آدیوبکش در دسترس بود. تصورم این بود که کتاب به صورت آنتولوژی باشه نبود متاسفانه. کتاب شامل یه سری گزیده ها از ادبیات بریتانیا ست که با کریسمس مرتبط هستن.
خیلی چیدمان این گزیده ها هدفمند نبود اما راوی های کتاب استادانه کار کرده بودن. به خصوص آخرین گزیده.
خیلی چیدمان این گزیده ها هدفمند نبود اما راوی های کتاب استادانه کار کرده بودن. به خصوص آخرین گزیده.
October 19, 2019
At 2 hours, 17 minutes: this is a great audio listen for the busy holiday time, or any time honestly. I listened today to fill in the gaps when I was baking and also while doing a few other things between family holiday obligations at this place and that place. The short holiday-themed poetry selections mixed with prose excerpts made it easy to listen for a little while, then stop...listen, then stop...repeat. Favorites of mine include submissions from Charles Dickens, Emily Bronte, Louisa May Alcott, and Thomas Hardy.
This is a really great collection, and such fun to listen to. If I had any suggestion for an edit, it would be this: there really is not enough time in between chapters to call them "breaks" - I could barely hit the pause button when I wanted to stop for a second. I wish it had been a teensy bit longer between each chapter.
Having Juliet Stevenson and Simon Callow narrate these poems and tales was utter brilliance because they are total perfection. Juliet has a lovely voice that sounds nothing short of a melody. And Simon has some of the very best accents.
I was fortunate to grab this from Audible's Daily Deal sale for 99 cents today. I'm glad I have this one so I can listen again during future holiday seasons.
This is a really great collection, and such fun to listen to. If I had any suggestion for an edit, it would be this: there really is not enough time in between chapters to call them "breaks" - I could barely hit the pause button when I wanted to stop for a second. I wish it had been a teensy bit longer between each chapter.
Having Juliet Stevenson and Simon Callow narrate these poems and tales was utter brilliance because they are total perfection. Juliet has a lovely voice that sounds nothing short of a melody. And Simon has some of the very best accents.
I was fortunate to grab this from Audible's Daily Deal sale for 99 cents today. I'm glad I have this one so I can listen again during future holiday seasons.
December 16, 2024
John Milton, Louisa May Alcott, Nancy Mitford, Samuel Pepys, and more rub shoulders in this beautiful anthology. Poetry, nonfiction, and fiction mingle with art, illustrations, and icons. I loved the wide range of selections. This is one to keep by the Christmas tree for reading selections as inspiration strikes.
I do wish that the images were credited (all except one are owned by the British Library--but surely, they could credit the artist!) and that each selection had its year noted. Reading an unfamiliar short story and not knowing in which century or decade to set it, until the Christmas gifts made it known, was disconcerting. Surely a collection put out by a library would be well-cited, but alas! Maybe a Christmas miracle will be added in future editions.
I do wish that the images were credited (all except one are owned by the British Library--but surely, they could credit the artist!) and that each selection had its year noted. Reading an unfamiliar short story and not knowing in which century or decade to set it, until the Christmas gifts made it known, was disconcerting. Surely a collection put out by a library would be well-cited, but alas! Maybe a Christmas miracle will be added in future editions.
December 17, 2018
This was a wonderful little treasure trove of festive writings, perfect for getting into the Christmas spirit in the build up to the big day. I liked that there's a mix of both prose and poetry, and it's nicely structured, being split into different sections (Before Christmas, The Nativity, Christmas Day, Christmas Fare, Christmas at War, A Child's Christmas, Seasonal Snow and Ice, and New Year).
As with any anthology, there were of course some writing styles featured that I enjoyed more than others. Christmas at Sea by Robert Louis Stevenson was easily the stand-out piece for me. It is wonderfully evocative, and incredibly poignant. I read it three times back-to-back just to soak it all in. Other highlights included: A Christmas Carol by Christina Rossetti; A Visit from St Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore; and extracts from Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence, and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.
It's beautifully packaged, and would make a lovely gift at this time of year. As a reading experience, it was thoroughly enchanting, and it also served as a nice way to sample a few authors I hadn't tried before.
As with any anthology, there were of course some writing styles featured that I enjoyed more than others. Christmas at Sea by Robert Louis Stevenson was easily the stand-out piece for me. It is wonderfully evocative, and incredibly poignant. I read it three times back-to-back just to soak it all in. Other highlights included: A Christmas Carol by Christina Rossetti; A Visit from St Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore; and extracts from Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence, and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.
It's beautifully packaged, and would make a lovely gift at this time of year. As a reading experience, it was thoroughly enchanting, and it also served as a nice way to sample a few authors I hadn't tried before.
December 22, 2018
Lots of gems in here
November 29, 2022
Audiobook. Book and narration 5 stars, narration by Simon Cowell and Juliet Stevenson.
November 20, 2025
Better than average anthology of Christmas stories, poems, and extracts from novels.
December 30, 2021
I bought this last Christmas and began it soon after but saved the second half for this Christmas. What a treat it is! Lots of festive treasures from classic authors. Warmly recommended to supplement your seasonal joy!
January 1, 2017
A wonderful collection of short Christmas prose and poetry from classic authors including Dickens, Longfellow, Hardy, Alcott and Austen to name a few. Excellent short snippets making it a perfect easy read for delightful listening while prepping during Christmas time. Brilliantly narrated by Juliet Stevenson and Simon Callow. Highly recommended.
December 11, 2017
A collection of poetry and snippets of prose related to the holidays. A short, delightful collection read by favorites Juliet Stevenson and Simon Callow. My only complaint is that the pauses between pieces was almost non-existent, and it felt rushed.
December 22, 2017
A quite enjoyable collection of excerpts and poems celebrating Christmas. They were perfect for getting into a Christmas frame of mind, except for the last section which was entitled Cold Weather. That bit seemed to me to be added to pad it out some.
December 11, 2017
Snippets of Christmas by Dickens, Austen, Alcott, etc. An excellent selection.
January 3, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of reading this collection of Christmas poems, short stories, and prose extracts throughout this festive period. I originally intended to finish this in December but, upon realising there was a section encompassing New Year, decided to finish the anthology at the beginning of January instead.
As you can see by glancing down my list of reviews for each piece (see below), I had a very mixed reading experience.
:) A lot of the extracts gave me the warm, festive feelings I wanted. A lot moved me in other ways.
I appreciated the choice of sections in this anthology and the breadth of themes this allowed the collection to cover.
My absolute favourite, Wuthering Heights, was included...so I can't fault that! (Though I did find the choice of extract quite odd...).
The illustrations inside are beautiful.
I'm so glad I found myself reading A Visit from St Nicholas at the beginning of Christmas (I just love that poem).
There was a healthy balance between mediums and the array of literature included has fortunately introduced me to a lot of authors that I will endeavour to read from one day.
:( Prose extracts are tricky because they either need to be so popular you can guarantee everyone has read (and thus has a level of understanding) of them, or have extracts that can be read satisfactorily in isolation and pertain to the intended theme. Whilst a lot of the extracts satisfied this, some did not. Indeed, some were confusing and at times I even struggled to find the reason they were even chosen to be in the collection.
My biggest issue was the New Year section. It was so dismal and depressing that it almost affected my own outlook on my upcoming year! I'm gutted because it was the section I had anticipated gearing me up for 2022 and it was also such an unfortunate way to finish off the anthology.
Now I've read the collection in full, it will be perfect to revisit in brief every year to seek out my favourites and perhaps give some others another try.
-----------------------------------------------------
To ascertain my overall rating of this anthology, I averaged out my reviews per each section, and then calculated the average rating of these 8 sections. For my own records, here is the individual rating for every piece:
Literary extract ratings...🎄💫
Part One: Before Christmas
1. A Visit from St Nicholas - 5 ✨
2. The Feast of St Friend - 3 ✨
3. The Gypsy - 2 ✨
4. Sons and Lovers - 5 ✨
5. Cider with Rosie - 4 ✨
6. The River Duddon - 3 ✨
7. Wuthering Heights - 5 ✨
8. A Christmas Carol (Dickens) - 4 ✨
9. The Oxen - 5 ✨
10. Bertie's Christmas Eve - 1 ✨
Part two: The Nativity
1. A Christmas Carol (Rossetti) - 5 ✨
2. On the Morning of Christ's Nativity - 2 ✨
3. The Virgin Mary to the Child Jesus - 3 ✨
4. A Christmas Carol (Chesterton) - 5 ✨
5. Nativity - 2 ✨
Part three: Christmas Day
1. Diary - 1 ✨
2. Music on Christmas Morning - 3 ✨
3. Orley Farm - 3 ✨
4. Christmas at Sea - 5 ✨
5. The Mill on the Floss - 5 ✨
6. Christmas in India - 2 ✨
7. The Mistletoe Bough - 5 ✨
8. Christmas Pudding - 3 ✨
Part four: Christmas Fare
1. The Sketchbook of Washington Irving - DNF
2. A Christmas Carol (Dickens) - 5 ✨
3. Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandrie - 3 ✨
4. Talking Turkeys!! - 5 ✨
5. Another Christmas Carol - 4 ✨
Part five: Christmas At War
1. Christmas Bells - 3 ✨
2. A Christmas Ghost-Story - 3 ✨
3. A Christmas Prayer - 3 ✨
4. The Truce of Christmas - 3 ✨
5. The Holly on the Wall - 5 ✨
Part six: A Child's Christmas
1. A Child's Christmas in Wales - 3 ✨
2. The Wind and the Willows - 5 ✨
3. The Carol of the Poor Children - 4 ✨
4. Little Women - 5 ✨
5. The Lost Boy - 3 stars ✨
Part seven: Seasonal Snow And Ice
1. Diary - DNF
2. Trivia - 1 ✨
3. English Hours - 2 ✨
4. As You Like It - 3 stars ✨
5. Emma - not reading this extract as I hope to read Emma very soon & don't want to be spoiled!
6. The Mahogany Tree - 2 ✨
7. The Pickwick Papers - DNF
Part eight: New Year
1. Dirge for the Year - 1 ✨
2. Ceremony upon Candlemas Eve - 1 ✨
3. Sonnet - 1 ✨
4. Ring Out, Wild Bells - 3 ✨
As you can see by glancing down my list of reviews for each piece (see below), I had a very mixed reading experience.
:) A lot of the extracts gave me the warm, festive feelings I wanted. A lot moved me in other ways.
I appreciated the choice of sections in this anthology and the breadth of themes this allowed the collection to cover.
My absolute favourite, Wuthering Heights, was included...so I can't fault that! (Though I did find the choice of extract quite odd...).
The illustrations inside are beautiful.
I'm so glad I found myself reading A Visit from St Nicholas at the beginning of Christmas (I just love that poem).
There was a healthy balance between mediums and the array of literature included has fortunately introduced me to a lot of authors that I will endeavour to read from one day.
:( Prose extracts are tricky because they either need to be so popular you can guarantee everyone has read (and thus has a level of understanding) of them, or have extracts that can be read satisfactorily in isolation and pertain to the intended theme. Whilst a lot of the extracts satisfied this, some did not. Indeed, some were confusing and at times I even struggled to find the reason they were even chosen to be in the collection.
My biggest issue was the New Year section. It was so dismal and depressing that it almost affected my own outlook on my upcoming year! I'm gutted because it was the section I had anticipated gearing me up for 2022 and it was also such an unfortunate way to finish off the anthology.
Now I've read the collection in full, it will be perfect to revisit in brief every year to seek out my favourites and perhaps give some others another try.
-----------------------------------------------------
To ascertain my overall rating of this anthology, I averaged out my reviews per each section, and then calculated the average rating of these 8 sections. For my own records, here is the individual rating for every piece:
Literary extract ratings...🎄💫
Part One: Before Christmas
1. A Visit from St Nicholas - 5 ✨
2. The Feast of St Friend - 3 ✨
3. The Gypsy - 2 ✨
4. Sons and Lovers - 5 ✨
5. Cider with Rosie - 4 ✨
6. The River Duddon - 3 ✨
7. Wuthering Heights - 5 ✨
8. A Christmas Carol (Dickens) - 4 ✨
9. The Oxen - 5 ✨
10. Bertie's Christmas Eve - 1 ✨
Part two: The Nativity
1. A Christmas Carol (Rossetti) - 5 ✨
2. On the Morning of Christ's Nativity - 2 ✨
3. The Virgin Mary to the Child Jesus - 3 ✨
4. A Christmas Carol (Chesterton) - 5 ✨
5. Nativity - 2 ✨
Part three: Christmas Day
1. Diary - 1 ✨
2. Music on Christmas Morning - 3 ✨
3. Orley Farm - 3 ✨
4. Christmas at Sea - 5 ✨
5. The Mill on the Floss - 5 ✨
6. Christmas in India - 2 ✨
7. The Mistletoe Bough - 5 ✨
8. Christmas Pudding - 3 ✨
Part four: Christmas Fare
1. The Sketchbook of Washington Irving - DNF
2. A Christmas Carol (Dickens) - 5 ✨
3. Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandrie - 3 ✨
4. Talking Turkeys!! - 5 ✨
5. Another Christmas Carol - 4 ✨
Part five: Christmas At War
1. Christmas Bells - 3 ✨
2. A Christmas Ghost-Story - 3 ✨
3. A Christmas Prayer - 3 ✨
4. The Truce of Christmas - 3 ✨
5. The Holly on the Wall - 5 ✨
Part six: A Child's Christmas
1. A Child's Christmas in Wales - 3 ✨
2. The Wind and the Willows - 5 ✨
3. The Carol of the Poor Children - 4 ✨
4. Little Women - 5 ✨
5. The Lost Boy - 3 stars ✨
Part seven: Seasonal Snow And Ice
1. Diary - DNF
2. Trivia - 1 ✨
3. English Hours - 2 ✨
4. As You Like It - 3 stars ✨
5. Emma - not reading this extract as I hope to read Emma very soon & don't want to be spoiled!
6. The Mahogany Tree - 2 ✨
7. The Pickwick Papers - DNF
Part eight: New Year
1. Dirge for the Year - 1 ✨
2. Ceremony upon Candlemas Eve - 1 ✨
3. Sonnet - 1 ✨
4. Ring Out, Wild Bells - 3 ✨
December 10, 2022
Really enjoyed this anthology. Some pieces were very familiar but others were new. I like the pictures that are included as well. We laughed at The Christmas Turkey by Benjamin Zephaniah and I became enamored with the poem: A Christmas Carol by G K Chesterton and the kids and I decided to memorize it.
The Christ-child lay on Mary’s lap
His hair was like a light.
(O weary, weary were the world,
But here is all aright.)
The Christ-child lay on Mary’s breast
His hair was like a star.
(O stern and cunning are the kings, But here the true hearts are).
The Christ-child lay on Mary’s heart,
His hair was like a fire.
(O weary, weary is the world,
But here the world’s desire.)
The Christ-child stood on Mary’s knee,
His hair was like a crown,
And all the flowers looked up at Him,
And all the stars looked down.
The Christ-child lay on Mary’s lap
His hair was like a light.
(O weary, weary were the world,
But here is all aright.)
The Christ-child lay on Mary’s breast
His hair was like a star.
(O stern and cunning are the kings, But here the true hearts are).
The Christ-child lay on Mary’s heart,
His hair was like a fire.
(O weary, weary is the world,
But here the world’s desire.)
The Christ-child stood on Mary’s knee,
His hair was like a crown,
And all the flowers looked up at Him,
And all the stars looked down.
December 26, 2018
It was very pleasant to dip in and out of this collection of classic poems, short stories, and excerpts from longer works, all round the themes of Christmas, winter weather, and New Year's. Some very familiar ones but also some surprises. I especially liked the excerpt from John Evelyn's diary of the 1684 freezing of the Thames - very evocative.
December 20, 2020
Just looking at the cover of this beautiful silver Christmas book makes me happy. An enjoyable read through Christmas short stories and extracts. A particular favorite of mine was "Bertie's Christmas Eve" about a menace who locks his family in a barn and proceeds to invite revelers off the street into their home to eat all the food and drink all the alcohol. "It was the happiest Christmas Eve he had ever spent. To quote his own words, he had a rotten Christmas."
December 6, 2023
This is such a nice anthology to put you into the holiday spirit. A collection of poetry, short stories, and prose excerpts from a variety of writers. It would be a great gift book and it would be a good book to pick up and randomly read from every December.
December 23, 2025
Lovely to pick up again each year and dip into festive scenes from well loved books and some lesser known texts.
December 16, 2017
At just over two hours, this is a lovely way for book lovers to get in the mood for the Christmas season. Intermingled with devout poetry such as Rosetti's "In the Bleak Midwinter" and Donne's "Nativity" are readings from classics such as Little Women, Emma, and A Christmas Carol. It was delightful to hear favorite passages and to be introduced to new ones. (Who actually remembers that there is a Christmas passage in Wuthering Heights?)
By only complaint is that the reading near the end from Emma, when taken out of context, makes Mr. Knightly appear to be a horrible boor, which he definitely is not, but that's a personal quibble
The two narrators are outstanding.
By only complaint is that the reading near the end from Emma, when taken out of context, makes Mr. Knightly appear to be a horrible boor, which he definitely is not, but that's a personal quibble
The two narrators are outstanding.
January 6, 2020
This book wasn’t *exactly* perfect, but I simply adored it. I loved the selections, the short stories, and the poetry. I loved how it was sectioned off into Before Christmas, The Nativity, Christmas Day, Christmas Fare, Christmas at War, a Child’s Christmas, Seasonal Snow and Ice, and New Year. I thought the artwork was beautiful, and the cover was simply gorgeous (which matters to me).
I had gotten this from the library, but I enjoyed it so much I purchased it for our Christmas collection.
I had gotten this from the library, but I enjoyed it so much I purchased it for our Christmas collection.
December 27, 2016
Great collection of seasonal stories by the great authors of old times gone by.
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