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The Tall Book of Christmas
This beloved collection of 29 stories, poems, and songs for the Christmas season is finally available again to be enjoyed by a new generation. With charming illustrations from the 1950s, this book embraces a classic and timeless holiday spirit. Selections
• The Christmas Story according to St. Luke and St. Matthew
• I Saw Three Ships, Old English Carol
• O Little Town of Bethlehem by Phillips Brooks
• What Can I Give Him? by Christina Rossetti
• Christmas Through a Knothole by Katharine Gibson
• The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore
• The Christmas Story according to St. Luke and St. Matthew
• I Saw Three Ships, Old English Carol
• O Little Town of Bethlehem by Phillips Brooks
• What Can I Give Him? by Christina Rossetti
• Christmas Through a Knothole by Katharine Gibson
• The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore
96 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1954
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71 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 4, 2019
This book has the most beautiful illustrations, a lovely mix of stories poems and songs,has a lovely 1950s feel.
December 12, 2016
I can see this being a treasured annual holiday read for those who grew up with it. Encountering it as an adult, I found it pleasant but not highly memorable. My favorite story was the one about the insomniac bear helping Santa without knowing who he was. I was also amused by the one that explains how Christmas trees were invented by forest fairies -- I guess not that out there if one accepts that decorating pines is more a German pagan holdover than a Christian symbol. The songs could've used musical scores alongside. Overall, a cute little collection.
December 17, 2015
This was my favorite Christmas book as a child. I just discovered it on the shelves of our local library and have fallen in love again.
November 30, 2023
Update, 11/27/23:
I've uploaded my own reading of "Giant Grummer's Christmas" to YouTube in case you need a Christmas story for the kids. I actually recorded it years ago for my mother, but I'm such a technotard that I just now figured out how to get it onto the site. Back then there weren't any readings of it anywhere which was one of the reasons I made my own, but now there are a few from which to choose. Oh well.
Original review, 12/10/14:
I confess a bias here. Mama used to read this book when she was a kid, and she and I have read a story from this book to each other every Christmas eve since I was in elementary or middle school, and that story is "Giant Grummer's Christmas." He was a very bad giant who lives in a castle made of limburger cheese which he eats on and chases with pickle juice. He plans to destroy all the Christmas presents on Christmas day, but Prince Topsy Turvy and Santa Claus come up with a plan to save the day. It involves turning their noses upside down. I did that once when I was younger to see if I could get the opposite olfactory effect they enjoy, but it didn't work and my nose didn't straighten back out until March. Don't try it. William Dana Street (the author) is full of shit on that score. But it's still an awesome story, and mama and I still read it to each other every Christmas Eve over 25 years later. (I'm 36 now). A few years ago she was sick so I stayed home that night, but we read it to each other over the phone (with me taking the lion's share of the lines that time), and the tradition lives on without interruption!
We also read another story from it as well, but that's always a different one each year. We're kind of partial to "Granny Glittens and Her Amazing Mittens" about this woman who knits edible handwear. It's really an ingenious plan that she stumbled upon accidentally. While reaming Cratchit out for using too much coal, George C. Scott's Scrooge tells us that...
"...Garments were invented by the human race as a protection against the cold. Once purchased, they may be used indefinitely for the purpose for which they are intended."
Well, Granny Glittens found a way to make him stick that sentiment in his pipe and smoke it. (Not that Scrooge is in that story, or even in this book). Her mittens don't last long because the kids eventually eat them, and then their parents have to buy more, but they don't mind. It's all done with love, and all that happy crappy.
And speaking of that, there is one story in here that's oh so sickeningly cutesy wutesy dat I twow up when I wead it. (That one is "The Christmas Cake." Don't say I didn't warn you).
This book has a good mix of the Christian and secular aspects of Christmas. (See the South Park story to see how Jesus and Santa really feel about each other). The first tale is "The Christmas Story."
And I mean the one with Jesus from the books of Matthew and Luke in the Bible, not the Ralphie yarn, though there's nothing wrong with that story. I can't think of a better way to start this book off than with that.
The last story is "A Visit from St. Nicholas" by Clement C. Moore which everyone knows, and that's a perfect way to end it. All the stuff in between is a mix. Some are religious, others not, some are downright silly (as if you couldn't tell by the descriptions above).
I coulda swore a couple of years ago mama and I read a story in this book that had us laughing so hard we couldn't finish it until the next morning for fear of hernias, but it must be in a different book. It was one of those infectious, belly hurting fit of giggles and guffaws, but nothing I read this time hit my funny bone like that. I thought it might be "A Christmas for Bears," but I was wrong.
There are also several poems (yawn) and songs (YAY)! I know they're kind of the same verse-wise, but when I can set it to music, I'm more excited. I think almost all of the songs are religious, but they're faves, and I sang them to myself as I read.
I suppose I've read everything in here a couple of times at some point or another, but this is the first time I've sat down and read it all in one season. I'm glad I finally got around to it. My copy is an original 1954 version mama got for me in 2000 so I had a copy of my own, but the spine is starting to fall off. (11/27/23 update: The spine fell off a couple of years ago, but some clear packing tape saved the day.) I might get the 2006 reprint to read in the future so this one doesn't fall apart, but that might take some of the specialness out of reading it. (11/27/23 update: Specialness maintained.)
If you enjoy Christmas, children's stories, and aren't offended by either the Christian or secular aspects of the holiday, then this book is for you. I've met people in both camps; non-Christians who deride Jesus showing up in his own holiday, and Christians who will return a "Happy Holidays" wished upon them with a "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" in a tone of voice usually reserved for a "Fuck-you-and-the-horse-you-rode-in-on;" both of them confuse me. There's no milk of human kindness in any of it, but not everyone feels about this holiday the way I do. A cousin the other day said he envies my Christmas spirit. It was quite a compliment, and I think he even meant it as one. Maybe I'm subconsciously compensating for being such a hard-ass shithead the rest of the year? I'll look into it.
...And though I shouldn't, I'm going to anyway. It's one of my causes. I apologize in advance, but I'm going to put this here for the sake of education and combating ignorance. For the Christians who are offended by anything related to Christmas that doesn't make a reference to Jesus, please know that "Xmas" does not mean someone is crossing Christ out of Christmas. It's been an abbreviation for over a millennium, and not only is it not irreligious, it's the opposite of it. "X" is the symbol for the Greek letter chi which was also used to represent Christ. X=Christ in the old days, and religious scholars and scribes have been using "X" to stand for Christ for centuries. (Also, to complete the etymology lesson please know that the "mas" part refers to "mass," but only Puritans and Catholic haters get upset about that). So, the next time you tell someone that Xmas is taking Christ out of Christmas to further a heathen agenda, please know that you're being an idiot.
Anyway, check this book out, and I hope you can find in it the joy that fills me during this season. You're welcome to as much of it as you can stand; I share it willingly.
I've uploaded my own reading of "Giant Grummer's Christmas" to YouTube in case you need a Christmas story for the kids. I actually recorded it years ago for my mother, but I'm such a technotard that I just now figured out how to get it onto the site. Back then there weren't any readings of it anywhere which was one of the reasons I made my own, but now there are a few from which to choose. Oh well.
Original review, 12/10/14:
I confess a bias here. Mama used to read this book when she was a kid, and she and I have read a story from this book to each other every Christmas eve since I was in elementary or middle school, and that story is "Giant Grummer's Christmas." He was a very bad giant who lives in a castle made of limburger cheese which he eats on and chases with pickle juice. He plans to destroy all the Christmas presents on Christmas day, but Prince Topsy Turvy and Santa Claus come up with a plan to save the day. It involves turning their noses upside down. I did that once when I was younger to see if I could get the opposite olfactory effect they enjoy, but it didn't work and my nose didn't straighten back out until March. Don't try it. William Dana Street (the author) is full of shit on that score. But it's still an awesome story, and mama and I still read it to each other every Christmas Eve over 25 years later. (I'm 36 now). A few years ago she was sick so I stayed home that night, but we read it to each other over the phone (with me taking the lion's share of the lines that time), and the tradition lives on without interruption!
We also read another story from it as well, but that's always a different one each year. We're kind of partial to "Granny Glittens and Her Amazing Mittens" about this woman who knits edible handwear. It's really an ingenious plan that she stumbled upon accidentally. While reaming Cratchit out for using too much coal, George C. Scott's Scrooge tells us that...
"...Garments were invented by the human race as a protection against the cold. Once purchased, they may be used indefinitely for the purpose for which they are intended."
Well, Granny Glittens found a way to make him stick that sentiment in his pipe and smoke it. (Not that Scrooge is in that story, or even in this book). Her mittens don't last long because the kids eventually eat them, and then their parents have to buy more, but they don't mind. It's all done with love, and all that happy crappy.
And speaking of that, there is one story in here that's oh so sickeningly cutesy wutesy dat I twow up when I wead it. (That one is "The Christmas Cake." Don't say I didn't warn you).
This book has a good mix of the Christian and secular aspects of Christmas. (See the South Park story to see how Jesus and Santa really feel about each other). The first tale is "The Christmas Story."
And I mean the one with Jesus from the books of Matthew and Luke in the Bible, not the Ralphie yarn, though there's nothing wrong with that story. I can't think of a better way to start this book off than with that.
The last story is "A Visit from St. Nicholas" by Clement C. Moore which everyone knows, and that's a perfect way to end it. All the stuff in between is a mix. Some are religious, others not, some are downright silly (as if you couldn't tell by the descriptions above).
I coulda swore a couple of years ago mama and I read a story in this book that had us laughing so hard we couldn't finish it until the next morning for fear of hernias, but it must be in a different book. It was one of those infectious, belly hurting fit of giggles and guffaws, but nothing I read this time hit my funny bone like that. I thought it might be "A Christmas for Bears," but I was wrong.
There are also several poems (yawn) and songs (YAY)! I know they're kind of the same verse-wise, but when I can set it to music, I'm more excited. I think almost all of the songs are religious, but they're faves, and I sang them to myself as I read.
I suppose I've read everything in here a couple of times at some point or another, but this is the first time I've sat down and read it all in one season. I'm glad I finally got around to it. My copy is an original 1954 version mama got for me in 2000 so I had a copy of my own, but the spine is starting to fall off. (11/27/23 update: The spine fell off a couple of years ago, but some clear packing tape saved the day.) I might get the 2006 reprint to read in the future so this one doesn't fall apart, but that might take some of the specialness out of reading it. (11/27/23 update: Specialness maintained.)
If you enjoy Christmas, children's stories, and aren't offended by either the Christian or secular aspects of the holiday, then this book is for you. I've met people in both camps; non-Christians who deride Jesus showing up in his own holiday, and Christians who will return a "Happy Holidays" wished upon them with a "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" in a tone of voice usually reserved for a "Fuck-you-and-the-horse-you-rode-in-on;" both of them confuse me. There's no milk of human kindness in any of it, but not everyone feels about this holiday the way I do. A cousin the other day said he envies my Christmas spirit. It was quite a compliment, and I think he even meant it as one. Maybe I'm subconsciously compensating for being such a hard-ass shithead the rest of the year? I'll look into it.
...And though I shouldn't, I'm going to anyway. It's one of my causes. I apologize in advance, but I'm going to put this here for the sake of education and combating ignorance. For the Christians who are offended by anything related to Christmas that doesn't make a reference to Jesus, please know that "Xmas" does not mean someone is crossing Christ out of Christmas. It's been an abbreviation for over a millennium, and not only is it not irreligious, it's the opposite of it. "X" is the symbol for the Greek letter chi which was also used to represent Christ. X=Christ in the old days, and religious scholars and scribes have been using "X" to stand for Christ for centuries. (Also, to complete the etymology lesson please know that the "mas" part refers to "mass," but only Puritans and Catholic haters get upset about that). So, the next time you tell someone that Xmas is taking Christ out of Christmas to further a heathen agenda, please know that you're being an idiot.
Anyway, check this book out, and I hope you can find in it the joy that fills me during this season. You're welcome to as much of it as you can stand; I share it willingly.
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December 24, 2020outdated but a classic!
January 1, 2010
In our family Christmas book collection. Love Granny Glittens! Bought from ebay 2006. It is falling apart. Read with Ryan 2009.
December 24, 2024
I read this every year. When I was a boy of about five my parents bought this for me. I was too young to read much then, but they read it to me, and I really enjoyed several of the stories. They get it wrong by including Matthew 2:1-12 as a "Christmas Story"; it belongs to Ephiphany. It's more a story of Jesus' holy childhood. The poems are mostly pretty good, and about half of them are Christmas hymns or songs repeated here. Cool and fun!
November 16, 2021
This book was written in the fifties so it had a few fun fairy tales I had not heard before. It is a tall book which makes it fun also.
December 16, 2023
These stories were so perfect to end our day with 🥰
July 14, 2019
I've done a little bit of research on "The Tall Book of Christmas" since finding the old copy I had as a kid in my parents' basement a year ago, and then seeing the listings on Amazon and other sites - some for very dear prices. The Amz listing still mentions a new edition being published by Gramercy in 2006 - that did not happen. As near as I can tell, all copies of the book are copyright 1954, either by Harper & Rowe or the Western Publishing Company (my copy is one of the latter). It's possible that those from Western were later reprints, with the publication date never changed. In any case, the book has been out of print for a while, and all the copies out there seem to be basically identical.
What the book consists of is various Christmas stories, poems and songs collected by Dorothy Hall Smith, mostly from other popular books and magazines from the previous half-century or so. There was a whole series of "Tall Book of" collections in the same format (12 1/4" high by 5 1/2" wide and around 96 pages) published between the early 1940s and the 1960s, including "The Tall Book of Mother Goose", "The Tall Book of Fairy Tales", and "The Tall Book of Make Believe" - this last is the rarest and hardest to find. Most of them contain a number of selections that were rarely reprinted outside of this series and haven't stayed in print to this day, so they're rather collectible. This one is the only one I have, and I'd love to find the others someday.
The book opens with a retelling of the birth of Christ from Luke and Matthew which doesn't do a lot for this non-believer; the bulk of the book, and the most fun part for me as a kid and now, is taken up by the stories, which are usually 4-6 pages long and illustrated, mostly in color, by Gertrude Elliott Espenscheid. Very typical kids/family type illustrations from that period - if you've got Christmas cards or other Christmas books from the late 40s or early 50s you'll know what I mean. Many of the songs and poems are fairly familiar - "I Saw Three Ships", "O Little Town of Bethlehem", "Away in the Manger" and "The Night Before Christmas" among them, but the stories have pretty much faded into obscurity. Here's a list of them:
Christmas Through a Knothole (Katharine Gibson)
Babouscka (Carolyn Sherwin Bailey)
Giant Gummer's Christmas (William Dana Street)
Granny Glittens and Her Amazing Mittens (Gertrude Crampton)
A Christmas for Bears (Ray St. Clair)
The Christmas Cake (Maud Lindsay)
The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy (Catherine Woolley)
In the Great Walled Country (Raymond MacDonald Alden)
My favorites are the first - a charming tale of how some kids help the town miscreant celebrate Christmas even though he's in jail - and the last, a fairy-tale about the meaning of giving to others, instead of wanting things for yourself.
I love this book and in the increasingly unlikely event that I ever have kids, I'll certainly be sharing it with them. Given it's age, and the fact that much of it is going to be unfamiliar to anyone under 50 or so, it might be a hard sell for some kids, so perhaps it's going to have more appeal for us grown-up kids nowadays, especially at the prices it goes for here and elsewhere. Shop around, you may find a deal - but I'd recommend it warmly at almost any price to those who remember a slightly less frantic holiday season with an Old World, or at least Old Americana feeling.
What the book consists of is various Christmas stories, poems and songs collected by Dorothy Hall Smith, mostly from other popular books and magazines from the previous half-century or so. There was a whole series of "Tall Book of" collections in the same format (12 1/4" high by 5 1/2" wide and around 96 pages) published between the early 1940s and the 1960s, including "The Tall Book of Mother Goose", "The Tall Book of Fairy Tales", and "The Tall Book of Make Believe" - this last is the rarest and hardest to find. Most of them contain a number of selections that were rarely reprinted outside of this series and haven't stayed in print to this day, so they're rather collectible. This one is the only one I have, and I'd love to find the others someday.
The book opens with a retelling of the birth of Christ from Luke and Matthew which doesn't do a lot for this non-believer; the bulk of the book, and the most fun part for me as a kid and now, is taken up by the stories, which are usually 4-6 pages long and illustrated, mostly in color, by Gertrude Elliott Espenscheid. Very typical kids/family type illustrations from that period - if you've got Christmas cards or other Christmas books from the late 40s or early 50s you'll know what I mean. Many of the songs and poems are fairly familiar - "I Saw Three Ships", "O Little Town of Bethlehem", "Away in the Manger" and "The Night Before Christmas" among them, but the stories have pretty much faded into obscurity. Here's a list of them:
Christmas Through a Knothole (Katharine Gibson)
Babouscka (Carolyn Sherwin Bailey)
Giant Gummer's Christmas (William Dana Street)
Granny Glittens and Her Amazing Mittens (Gertrude Crampton)
A Christmas for Bears (Ray St. Clair)
The Christmas Cake (Maud Lindsay)
The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy (Catherine Woolley)
In the Great Walled Country (Raymond MacDonald Alden)
My favorites are the first - a charming tale of how some kids help the town miscreant celebrate Christmas even though he's in jail - and the last, a fairy-tale about the meaning of giving to others, instead of wanting things for yourself.
I love this book and in the increasingly unlikely event that I ever have kids, I'll certainly be sharing it with them. Given it's age, and the fact that much of it is going to be unfamiliar to anyone under 50 or so, it might be a hard sell for some kids, so perhaps it's going to have more appeal for us grown-up kids nowadays, especially at the prices it goes for here and elsewhere. Shop around, you may find a deal - but I'd recommend it warmly at almost any price to those who remember a slightly less frantic holiday season with an Old World, or at least Old Americana feeling.
July 7, 2013
I love this book! Okay, yes, it's heavily Christian, more than other Christmas books, and certainly more than anything commonly published today (outside of Zondervan and Glenn Schmuck and Mike Schmuckabee).
That said, there are a few completely oddball stories, like Giant Grummer's Christmas. Giant Grummer was a very bad giant and didn't believe in Santa Clause and lived in a castle of Limburger cheese, which is the strongest and smelliest of all cheeses. He plans on ruining the Christmas of the entire village below his castle (by going and doing giant-ly grinch-y things) but Santa laves him so much fine tasty Limburger in his giant stocking that he falls into a food coma and never goes plundering.
However, my favorite story of maybe all Christmas stories is Granny Glittens and Her Amazing Mittens. Granny Glittens knit all year long. She made mittens with all sorts of fancy patterns - kids on sleds or skates, yellow ducks, fir trees and pretty much anything you could imagine. Parents far and wide would order her mittens so Granny Glittens ordered lots of multi-colored yarn from The Store. Just before Christmas, with so many orders, Granny Glittens had to place a huge order with The Store and all they sent her was white yarn ("Sorry!") so she goes to her cabinet which is nearly empty, just full of candy. Red, yellow, green, brown, and black candy, to be specific. So she used the candy to dye the yarn. Then she gets so busy knitting that she's not had time to make anything to eat, so she starts nibbling on the yarn, which was tasty!! So not only are her mittens so popular for having nifty patterns, the kids love them because now they can eat their mittens too!
I mean, really. I love these stories.
That said, there are a few completely oddball stories, like Giant Grummer's Christmas. Giant Grummer was a very bad giant and didn't believe in Santa Clause and lived in a castle of Limburger cheese, which is the strongest and smelliest of all cheeses. He plans on ruining the Christmas of the entire village below his castle (by going and doing giant-ly grinch-y things) but Santa laves him so much fine tasty Limburger in his giant stocking that he falls into a food coma and never goes plundering.
However, my favorite story of maybe all Christmas stories is Granny Glittens and Her Amazing Mittens. Granny Glittens knit all year long. She made mittens with all sorts of fancy patterns - kids on sleds or skates, yellow ducks, fir trees and pretty much anything you could imagine. Parents far and wide would order her mittens so Granny Glittens ordered lots of multi-colored yarn from The Store. Just before Christmas, with so many orders, Granny Glittens had to place a huge order with The Store and all they sent her was white yarn ("Sorry!") so she goes to her cabinet which is nearly empty, just full of candy. Red, yellow, green, brown, and black candy, to be specific. So she used the candy to dye the yarn. Then she gets so busy knitting that she's not had time to make anything to eat, so she starts nibbling on the yarn, which was tasty!! So not only are her mittens so popular for having nifty patterns, the kids love them because now they can eat their mittens too!
I mean, really. I love these stories.
December 26, 2022
This is a dear favorite from my childhood, in the 60’s. I no longer have the copy that I grew up with, but 15-20 years ago I found a reprint edition that is identical in every way to the original - including the 1954 copyright! So this book has many wonderful memories for me. Very nostalgic! I think my favorite story is the puppy who is looking for a boy for Christmas. I really loved the illustrations for that one!
Speaking of illustrations, I have to say that this is a very WHITE book. Every single child depicted is white. Even baby Jesus is white, and often shown with blond hair! Yikes! I think one of King Herod’s advisors could be thought of as brown skinned, though that could just be an artifact of the printing. At any rate, I’m hard pressed to actually recommend this to modern families, without at least warning them about this issue. It’s really not racially accurate in any way.
Also, reading it as an adult, I see other things that stand out, and not in a good way, such as the way boys and girls are presented. Girls are always sweet and gentle and demure, while the boys are mischievous and rambunctious. Ugh. Another reason to not recommend it to modern families.
Nevertheless, for myself personally, I love it for the nostalgia factor, as it instantly transports me back to my childhood! So my own personal rating is still 5 stars, though I don’t know that I’d recommend it to others.
Speaking of illustrations, I have to say that this is a very WHITE book. Every single child depicted is white. Even baby Jesus is white, and often shown with blond hair! Yikes! I think one of King Herod’s advisors could be thought of as brown skinned, though that could just be an artifact of the printing. At any rate, I’m hard pressed to actually recommend this to modern families, without at least warning them about this issue. It’s really not racially accurate in any way.
Also, reading it as an adult, I see other things that stand out, and not in a good way, such as the way boys and girls are presented. Girls are always sweet and gentle and demure, while the boys are mischievous and rambunctious. Ugh. Another reason to not recommend it to modern families.
Nevertheless, for myself personally, I love it for the nostalgia factor, as it instantly transports me back to my childhood! So my own personal rating is still 5 stars, though I don’t know that I’d recommend it to others.
December 1, 2013
This book was a gift to me in 1961 from one of our neighbors, Bess Wacholz. This book became part of our yearly Christmas season repertoire! Often Santa came while were distracted by the reading of this book. As my Mother is a knitter, Granny Glittens and Her Amazing Mittens, was one of her favorite stories. It was always a pleasure listening to my Mum read these stories as she changed her voice for each of the characters.
I'd recommend it to anyone with young children... from a time when a book could hold the awe that now seems only occupied by something electrical.
I'd recommend it to anyone with young children... from a time when a book could hold the awe that now seems only occupied by something electrical.
December 24, 2016
The best Christmas book ever, first published in 1954, when I was seven. I loved it then, and I love it now.
December 10, 2024
A family Christmas favorite.
December 25, 2022
Awesome family favorite. Read it every year.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews