Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Spirit of Christmas: 101 Joyful Holiday Stories

by Amy Newmark

Get into the holiday spirit with these tales of Christmas, plus all the other holiday fun from Thanksgiving to New Year’s!

These 101 true personal stories are filled with the cheer of the season—from the true meaning of Christmas to holiday miracles, from Thanksgiving turkeys to New Year’s Eve toasts, from the joy of children to family reunions, and from holiday mishaps to the perfect gifts.

Share the love, fun, and wonder of the holidays with your family and friends. What a great way to keep that Christmas spirit alive for many months to come!

And your purchase will support Toys for Tots, creating miracles for children all over the U.S.

Chicken Soup for the Soul books are 100% made in the USA and include stories from as diverse a group of writers as possible, including people of all ethnicities, nationalities, and religions.

Genres: Christmas, Nonfiction

352 pages, Paperback

Published October 14, 2025

About the author

Amy Newmark is the bestselling author, editor-in-chief, and publisher of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. Since 2008, she has published 191 new Chicken Soup for the Soul titles, most of them national bestsellers in the U.S. and Canada, more than doubling the number of Chicken Soup for the Soul titles in print today.

Amy is credited with revitalizing the Chicken Soup for the Soul brand, which has been a publishing industry phenomenon since the first book came out in 1993. By compiling inspirational and aspirational true stories curated from ordinary people who have had extraordinary experiences, Amy has kept the thirty-year-old Chicken Soup for the Soul brand fresh and relevant.

Follow Amy on Twitter @amynewmark. Listen to her free podcast, The Chicken Soup for the Soul Podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, the Podcasts app on iPhone, or by using your favorite podcast app on other devices.

Reviews

[Ciara Reads 5 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this with my residents during the Holiday season. They love the short stories!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Spirit of Christmas: 101 Joyful Holiday Stories
Author: Amy Newmark
Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne, Emily Norman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Length: Approximately 9 hours and 29 minutes
Source: Review copy from Simon Audio. Thank-you!

What types of books do you like to read when you are super busy? Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Spirit of Christmas was perfect for a busy time. The stories are all short, seasonal, and uplifting.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Spirit of Christmas is a collection of 101 true stories that are set anywhere from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, with most being set at Christmas. My thoughts on this collection:

• This was great on audiobook. I listened to this collection to start off my day for the last couple of weeks and it started off my day with a very bright spot.

• Purchase of this book supports Toys for Tots which is a very worthy organization.

• I liked that some stories gave me a good laugh while others brought a tear to my eye and really made me think about the true meaning of Christmas.

• This was a cozy read.

• There were a lot of stories related to Christian faith throughout, but mixed faith families such as a blended Hanukkah/Christmas celebration were also discussed.

• I haven’t read a Chicken Soup for the soul book for quite a while and Imthink I need to listen to more of these on audiobook moving forward.

Overall, Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Spirit of Christmas: 101 Joyful Holiday Stories by Amy Newmark was a great cozy read and audiobook that really brought me into the spirit of the season.

This review was first posted on my blog at: https://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2025...

[Kate Hornstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chicken soup! Interfaith Community members and former members (and others) may enjoy my interfaith Christmas story in this year's Chicken Soup for the Soul: the Spirit of Christmas. My story talks about the first time my Brooklyn-born husband celebrated Christmas with my parents in our small town. He was expecting full-on Italian Christmas, and instead got understated WASP/Quaker Christmas with limited food! I had fun writing this one; check it out. A portion of the book sales goes to Toys for Tots. I thoroughly enjoyed the other stories in the book as well: everything from meals gone horribly wrong to a tribute to Liza Minelli.

[Nicole Martin-Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always loved the Chicken Soup for the Soul books, and this one is no different. The Spirit of Christmas edition is heartwarming and cozy. The perfect book to read curled up with a mug of hot chocolate. It’s a wonderful holiday book that truly warms the heart in ways even the hot chocolate can’t.

[Stacey Angeliadis · Rating 4 out of 5]

These book were always on my parents coffee table and i would read them growing up, they are the perfect length feel good stories that keep you entertained and overall just feeling happy , highly recommend these books

[Lori Kasprzak · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite holiday book to read each year! I look forward to each year's new publication!

[Elizabeth Holmes]

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