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Christmas Stories
This book contains the following beautiful Christmas tales:
A Christmas Inspiration
A Christmas Mistake
The Red Room
Aunt Cyrilla's Christmas Basket
The Josephs' Christmas
The Osbornes' Christmas
Bertie's New Year
Clorinda's Gifts
Ida's New Year Cake
The Christmas Surprise at Enderly Road
The Falsoms' Christmas Dinner
The Unforgotten One
Christmas at Red Butte
Uncle Richard's New Year's Dinner
A Christmas Inspiration
A Christmas Mistake
The Red Room
Aunt Cyrilla's Christmas Basket
The Josephs' Christmas
The Osbornes' Christmas
Bertie's New Year
Clorinda's Gifts
Ida's New Year Cake
The Christmas Surprise at Enderly Road
The Falsoms' Christmas Dinner
The Unforgotten One
Christmas at Red Butte
Uncle Richard's New Year's Dinner
106 pages, Paperback
First published August 27, 2010
396 people are currently reading
399 people want to read
About the author
L.M. Montgomery
1,861 books13.2k followersLucy Maud Montgomery was a Canadian author, best known for a series of novels beginning with Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908.
Montgomery was born at Clifton, Prince Edward Island, Nov. 30, 1874. She came to live at Leaskdale, north of Uxbridge Ontario, after her wedding with Rev. Ewen Macdonald on July 11, 1911. She had three children and wrote close to a dozen books while she was living in the Leaskdale Manse before the family moved to Norval, Ontario in 1926. She died in Toronto April 24, 1942 and was buried at Cavendish, Prince Edward Island.
Montgomery was born at Clifton, Prince Edward Island, Nov. 30, 1874. She came to live at Leaskdale, north of Uxbridge Ontario, after her wedding with Rev. Ewen Macdonald on July 11, 1911. She had three children and wrote close to a dozen books while she was living in the Leaskdale Manse before the family moved to Norval, Ontario in 1926. She died in Toronto April 24, 1942 and was buried at Cavendish, Prince Edward Island.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
January 26, 2024
Although this here e-book of fourteen L.M. Montgomery Christmas short stories (which I bought for less than two dollars for my Kindle on Amazon Canada) certainly does contain a decent enough general compilation and selection of tales, I would personally ALWAYS AND INDEED VERY VERY STRONGLY recommend the Rea Wilmshurst edited book Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Tales over Christmas Stories.
For one, Rea Wilmshurst's collection of L.M. Montgomery Christmas and New Year stories includes The End of the Young Family Feud and which I most definitely have very sorely, which I have very painfully missed in Christmas Stories (and yes, The End of the Young Family Feud is also one of my absolute personal favourites amongst L.M. Montgomery's Christmas themed stories, so naturally The End of the Young Family Feud not being included in Christmas Stories has been a huge and for me almost unforgivable and inexcusable omission and disappointment and also really for no good or in any way acceptable reason either).
And for two, and for me much more frustratingly and annoyingly in fact, while I guess the Gothic horror tale The Red Room (which features adultery, social as well as racial tension and actually culminates in a stabbing, in a gruesome and blood-soaked murder, in a crime of passion) does actually take place during the Yuletide season, I personally do not and will never really and truly consider The Red Room as one of L.M. Montgomery's Christmas short stories, and yes, I am and remain more than a bit shocked and hugely put off to see it featured and presented in Christmas Stories and also as such unfailingly glad that Rea Wilmshurst has thankfully not included The Red Room in her Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories (for thematically, The Red Room just does not at all fit in with the theme of the joyful celebration of Christmas and which is indeed and actually why Rea Wilmshurst has obviously and realistically put The Red Room in her compilation of L.M. Montgomery ghost, horror and criminality short stories, in Among the Shadows: Tales from the Darker Side, where The Red Room totally does belong and where it does not seem so strangely, so creepily and so entirely out of place).
For one, Rea Wilmshurst's collection of L.M. Montgomery Christmas and New Year stories includes The End of the Young Family Feud and which I most definitely have very sorely, which I have very painfully missed in Christmas Stories (and yes, The End of the Young Family Feud is also one of my absolute personal favourites amongst L.M. Montgomery's Christmas themed stories, so naturally The End of the Young Family Feud not being included in Christmas Stories has been a huge and for me almost unforgivable and inexcusable omission and disappointment and also really for no good or in any way acceptable reason either).
And for two, and for me much more frustratingly and annoyingly in fact, while I guess the Gothic horror tale The Red Room (which features adultery, social as well as racial tension and actually culminates in a stabbing, in a gruesome and blood-soaked murder, in a crime of passion) does actually take place during the Yuletide season, I personally do not and will never really and truly consider The Red Room as one of L.M. Montgomery's Christmas short stories, and yes, I am and remain more than a bit shocked and hugely put off to see it featured and presented in Christmas Stories and also as such unfailingly glad that Rea Wilmshurst has thankfully not included The Red Room in her Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories (for thematically, The Red Room just does not at all fit in with the theme of the joyful celebration of Christmas and which is indeed and actually why Rea Wilmshurst has obviously and realistically put The Red Room in her compilation of L.M. Montgomery ghost, horror and criminality short stories, in Among the Shadows: Tales from the Darker Side, where The Red Room totally does belong and where it does not seem so strangely, so creepily and so entirely out of place).
December 26, 2025
The Red Room
1 stars & 1/10 hearts. This story is depressive and dark and full of folly and misery and wrongdoing... and it's told as narrated by a grandmother to her grandchild?? That's just creepy and bad. Definitely not one of Montgomery's stories to pick up.
Content: Married woman in a very immodest dress & husband is displeased. Lots of passion and hatred. Murder. [married woman is caught by her husband + the narrator kissing/hugging/sitting on her lover. Woman later murders her husband and flies with her lover.]
A Christmas Mistake
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. Ah yes. This story is hilarious and so cute and sweet and Christmassy and heart-warming and old-fashioned... there. All that. XD
A Favourite Quote: "I'll make a famous bread pudding, and you can boil some molasses taffy and ask those little Smithsons next door to help you pull it. They won't whine for turkey, I'll be bound. I don't suppose they ever tasted such a thing in all their lives. If I could afford it, I'd have had them all in to dinner with us. That sermon Mr. Evans preached last Sunday kind of stirred me up. He said we ought always to try and share our Christmas joy with some poor souls who had never learned the meaning of the word."
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "When she returned it was to find Hannah groaning in and over the kitchen and the schoolteacher dreamily trying to clean some molasses off his boots with the kitchen hairbrush. Long-suffering Miss Cornelia rescued her property and despatched Mr. Palmer into the woodshed to find the shoe-brush."
A Christmas Inspiration
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. What a sweet Christmas story! I really enjoyed this one. It's very short but has a perfect Christmas message, and it's engaging and light. Perfect for a quickie Christmas read. <3
"I never felt so really Christmassy in my inmost soul before."
"I suppose that it is because we have discovered for ourselves the old truth that it is more blessed to give than to receive. I've always known it, in a way, but I never realized it before."
The Josephs' Christmas
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. What a delightful Christmas story!! It's so sweet and Christmassy and old-fashioned and well-developed. Another of my favourite Montgomery stories!
A Favourite Quote: "...they made the brave best of their small resources, and on Christmas Eve every little Joseph went to bed with a clear conscience, for was there not on the corner table in the kitchen a small mountain of tiny—sometimes very tiny—gifts labelled with the names of recipients and givers, and worth their weight in gold if love and good wishes count for anything?"
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "It was Mollie who for troubled small brothers and sisters did such sums in division as this: How can I get a ten-cent present for Emmy and a fifteen-cent one for Jimmy out of eighteen cents? Or, how can seven sticks of candy be divided among eight people so that each shall have one? It was Mollie who advised regarding the purchase of ribbon and crepe paper. It was Mollie who put the finishing touches to most of the little gifts. In short, all through December Mollie was weighed down under an avalanche of responsibility. It speaks volumes for her sagacity and skill that she never got things mixed up or made any such terrible mistake as letting one little Joseph find out what another was going to give him."
Aunt Cyrilla's Christmas Basket
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. What a perfect Christmas tale!! I loved it! Aunt Cyrilla is such a sweet lady and I liked Lucy Rose too. All the characters on the train were amazing and so real. The storyline/plot was delightful, the humour was excellent, the moral was so sweet. It was just amazing!
A Favourite Quote: "Geraldine was so stylish, and might think it queer; and then Aunt Cyrilla always would carry it on her arm and give cookies and apples and molasses taffy out of it to every child she encountered and, just as often as not, to older folks too. Lucy Rose, when she went to town with Aunt Cyrilla, felt chagrined over this—all of which goes to prove that Lucy was as yet very young and had a great deal to learn in this world."
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "Now, let me see, ... what shall I take? That big fruit cake for one thing—Edward does like my fruit cake; and that cold boiled tongue for another. Those three mince pies too, they'd spoil before we got back or your uncle'd make himself sick eating them—mince pie is his besetting sin. And that little stone bottle full of cream ... and another bottle of my raspberry vinegar. That plate of jelly cookies and doughnuts will please the children and fill up the chinks, and you can bring me that box of ice-cream candy out of the pantry, and that bag of striped candy sticks your uncle brought home from the corner last night. And apples, of course—three or four dozen of those good eaters—and a little pot of my greengage preserves—Edward'll like that. And some sandwiches and pound cake for a snack for ourselves.... Now, is that all?"
"There's a cold roast chicken in the pantry," said Lucy Rose wickedly, "and the pig Uncle Leo killed is hanging up in the porch. Couldn't you put them in too?"
Aunt Cyrilla smiled broadly. "Well, I guess we'll leave the pig alone; but since you have reminded me of it, the chicken may as well go in. I can make room."
The Osbornes' Christmas
4 stars & 4/10 hearts. Such a sweet, fun Christmas story! The Osbornes were so cute and funny, and I loved the plot, and the aunt! Great little story to get into the Christmas spirit.
A Favourite Quote: "'I thought we were just going to give the others a good time, but it was they who gave it to us,' said Ida."
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "[Frank] was sitting on the table with his hands in his pockets and a cynical sneer on his face. At least, Frank flattered himself that it was cynical. He knew that Uncle Edgar was said to wear a cynical sneer, and Frank admired Uncle Edgar very much and imitated him in every possible way....
"I'm awfully glad to see you, Cousin Myra," explained Frank carefully, "and your being here may make some things worth while. But Christmas is just a bore—a regular bore." That was what Uncle Edgar called things that didn't interest him, so that Frank felt pretty sure of his word. Nevertheless, he wondered uncomfortably what made Cousin Myra smile so queerly."
Bertie's New Year
4 stars & 4/10 hearts. Aw, this is such a delightful little New Year story! The characters are all so interesting and enjoyable!
A Favourite Quote: "She always spoke sharply, even when not intending it; it had grown to be a habit."
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "'Why, he wants to go out coasting with those Robinson boys, but he can't. He hasn't got any mittens and he would catch his death of cold again.' Her voice seemed to imply that William John had died of cold several times already."
Ida's New Year Cake
4 stars & 4/10 hearts. This is another of Montgomery's sweet holiday stories. Both Idas were just lovely and I really appreciated the message. :)
A Favourite Quote: "I'm afraid I'm anything but unselfish.... But I mean to try to be more this coming year and think a little about the girls outside of my own little set who may be lonely or discouraged. The other Ida Mitchell isn't going to have to depend on that fruit cake alone for comfort and encouragement for the next twelve months."
The Christmas Surprise at Enderly Road
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. A perfectly sweet & heartwarming Christmas story! Frank, Maggie, & the other characters were so real and so interesting. I love this story!
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "You decorated the school," cried Maggie excitedly. "I know you did. I told Minnie it was you the minute I saw it."
"You're dreaming, child," said Frank.
"Oh, no, I'm not," retorted Maggie shrewdly, "and wasn't Matt Dickey mad this morning! Oh, it was such fun. I think you are two real nice boys and so does Minnie—don't you Minnie?"
Minnie nodded gravely. Evidently Maggie did the talking in their partnership.
Clorinda's Gifts
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. This is just a teeny story, but the message is AMAZING. Perfectly sums up Christmas and what gifts should be. <3 I love it!!
"I knew that I could give some gifts after all. I thought of something new every day for a week. At first I didn't think I could give some of them, and then I thought how selfish I was. I would have been willing to pay any amount of money for gifts if I had had it, but I wasn't willing to pay what I had."
The Falsoms' Christmas Dinner
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. What a sweet, humorous little story with excellent characters!
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "This is the best mince pie I have ever sampled," he told Alexina. "I am glad to know that I have a niece who can make such a mince pie."
Alexina cast an agonized look at Josie, and was on the point of explaining that she wasn't the maker of the pie. But Josie frowned her into silence.
"I felt so guilty to sit there and take the credit—your credit," she told Josie afterwards, as they washed up the dishes.
"Nonsense," said Josie. "It wasn't as if you couldn't make mince pies. Your mince pies are better than mine, if it comes to that."
The Unforgotten One
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. This sweet Christmas story left me in tears. I loved how much you got to know of the characters simply by what they said. They were so lovely, so living! This is just such a heartwarming and delightful story. <33
A Favourite Quote: "Say not good night, but in some brighter clime bid me good morning."
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: "...the night was mild and dim, with hazy starlight. A little wind was laughing freakishly among the firs around Ingleside and rustling among the sere grasses along the garden walks.... there was a light in every window of Ingleside, the glow breaking out through the whispering darkness like a flame-red blossom swung against the background of the evergreens."
Christmas at Red Butte
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. I love this little story! It’s so sweet and delightful and Christmassy. Theodora is just so sweet and I loved Donald too, and all the other characters. There were a couple mentions of Santa Claus but other than that it was pretty near perfect!
Uncle Richard’s New Year’s Dinner
4 stars & 4/10 hearts. Montgomery evidently liked this type of story, and she does it well. This one reminds me more of “The End of a Quarrel” from “Chronicles of Avonlea” than “The End Of The Young Family Feud” and other similar stories in these short story collections. I quite enjoyed it. Prissy is sweet and Uncle Richard isn’t awful. ;)
1 stars & 1/10 hearts. This story is depressive and dark and full of folly and misery and wrongdoing... and it's told as narrated by a grandmother to her grandchild?? That's just creepy and bad. Definitely not one of Montgomery's stories to pick up.
Content: Married woman in a very immodest dress & husband is displeased. Lots of passion and hatred. Murder. [married woman is caught by her husband + the narrator kissing/hugging/sitting on her lover. Woman later murders her husband and flies with her lover.]
A Christmas Mistake
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. Ah yes. This story is hilarious and so cute and sweet and Christmassy and heart-warming and old-fashioned... there. All that. XD
A Favourite Quote: "I'll make a famous bread pudding, and you can boil some molasses taffy and ask those little Smithsons next door to help you pull it. They won't whine for turkey, I'll be bound. I don't suppose they ever tasted such a thing in all their lives. If I could afford it, I'd have had them all in to dinner with us. That sermon Mr. Evans preached last Sunday kind of stirred me up. He said we ought always to try and share our Christmas joy with some poor souls who had never learned the meaning of the word."
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "When she returned it was to find Hannah groaning in and over the kitchen and the schoolteacher dreamily trying to clean some molasses off his boots with the kitchen hairbrush. Long-suffering Miss Cornelia rescued her property and despatched Mr. Palmer into the woodshed to find the shoe-brush."
A Christmas Inspiration
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. What a sweet Christmas story! I really enjoyed this one. It's very short but has a perfect Christmas message, and it's engaging and light. Perfect for a quickie Christmas read. <3
"I never felt so really Christmassy in my inmost soul before."
"I suppose that it is because we have discovered for ourselves the old truth that it is more blessed to give than to receive. I've always known it, in a way, but I never realized it before."
The Josephs' Christmas
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. What a delightful Christmas story!! It's so sweet and Christmassy and old-fashioned and well-developed. Another of my favourite Montgomery stories!
A Favourite Quote: "...they made the brave best of their small resources, and on Christmas Eve every little Joseph went to bed with a clear conscience, for was there not on the corner table in the kitchen a small mountain of tiny—sometimes very tiny—gifts labelled with the names of recipients and givers, and worth their weight in gold if love and good wishes count for anything?"
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "It was Mollie who for troubled small brothers and sisters did such sums in division as this: How can I get a ten-cent present for Emmy and a fifteen-cent one for Jimmy out of eighteen cents? Or, how can seven sticks of candy be divided among eight people so that each shall have one? It was Mollie who advised regarding the purchase of ribbon and crepe paper. It was Mollie who put the finishing touches to most of the little gifts. In short, all through December Mollie was weighed down under an avalanche of responsibility. It speaks volumes for her sagacity and skill that she never got things mixed up or made any such terrible mistake as letting one little Joseph find out what another was going to give him."
Aunt Cyrilla's Christmas Basket
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. What a perfect Christmas tale!! I loved it! Aunt Cyrilla is such a sweet lady and I liked Lucy Rose too. All the characters on the train were amazing and so real. The storyline/plot was delightful, the humour was excellent, the moral was so sweet. It was just amazing!
A Favourite Quote: "Geraldine was so stylish, and might think it queer; and then Aunt Cyrilla always would carry it on her arm and give cookies and apples and molasses taffy out of it to every child she encountered and, just as often as not, to older folks too. Lucy Rose, when she went to town with Aunt Cyrilla, felt chagrined over this—all of which goes to prove that Lucy was as yet very young and had a great deal to learn in this world."
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "Now, let me see, ... what shall I take? That big fruit cake for one thing—Edward does like my fruit cake; and that cold boiled tongue for another. Those three mince pies too, they'd spoil before we got back or your uncle'd make himself sick eating them—mince pie is his besetting sin. And that little stone bottle full of cream ... and another bottle of my raspberry vinegar. That plate of jelly cookies and doughnuts will please the children and fill up the chinks, and you can bring me that box of ice-cream candy out of the pantry, and that bag of striped candy sticks your uncle brought home from the corner last night. And apples, of course—three or four dozen of those good eaters—and a little pot of my greengage preserves—Edward'll like that. And some sandwiches and pound cake for a snack for ourselves.... Now, is that all?"
"There's a cold roast chicken in the pantry," said Lucy Rose wickedly, "and the pig Uncle Leo killed is hanging up in the porch. Couldn't you put them in too?"
Aunt Cyrilla smiled broadly. "Well, I guess we'll leave the pig alone; but since you have reminded me of it, the chicken may as well go in. I can make room."
The Osbornes' Christmas
4 stars & 4/10 hearts. Such a sweet, fun Christmas story! The Osbornes were so cute and funny, and I loved the plot, and the aunt! Great little story to get into the Christmas spirit.
A Favourite Quote: "'I thought we were just going to give the others a good time, but it was they who gave it to us,' said Ida."
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "[Frank] was sitting on the table with his hands in his pockets and a cynical sneer on his face. At least, Frank flattered himself that it was cynical. He knew that Uncle Edgar was said to wear a cynical sneer, and Frank admired Uncle Edgar very much and imitated him in every possible way....
"I'm awfully glad to see you, Cousin Myra," explained Frank carefully, "and your being here may make some things worth while. But Christmas is just a bore—a regular bore." That was what Uncle Edgar called things that didn't interest him, so that Frank felt pretty sure of his word. Nevertheless, he wondered uncomfortably what made Cousin Myra smile so queerly."
Bertie's New Year
4 stars & 4/10 hearts. Aw, this is such a delightful little New Year story! The characters are all so interesting and enjoyable!
A Favourite Quote: "She always spoke sharply, even when not intending it; it had grown to be a habit."
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "'Why, he wants to go out coasting with those Robinson boys, but he can't. He hasn't got any mittens and he would catch his death of cold again.' Her voice seemed to imply that William John had died of cold several times already."
Ida's New Year Cake
4 stars & 4/10 hearts. This is another of Montgomery's sweet holiday stories. Both Idas were just lovely and I really appreciated the message. :)
A Favourite Quote: "I'm afraid I'm anything but unselfish.... But I mean to try to be more this coming year and think a little about the girls outside of my own little set who may be lonely or discouraged. The other Ida Mitchell isn't going to have to depend on that fruit cake alone for comfort and encouragement for the next twelve months."
The Christmas Surprise at Enderly Road
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. A perfectly sweet & heartwarming Christmas story! Frank, Maggie, & the other characters were so real and so interesting. I love this story!
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "You decorated the school," cried Maggie excitedly. "I know you did. I told Minnie it was you the minute I saw it."
"You're dreaming, child," said Frank.
"Oh, no, I'm not," retorted Maggie shrewdly, "and wasn't Matt Dickey mad this morning! Oh, it was such fun. I think you are two real nice boys and so does Minnie—don't you Minnie?"
Minnie nodded gravely. Evidently Maggie did the talking in their partnership.
Clorinda's Gifts
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. This is just a teeny story, but the message is AMAZING. Perfectly sums up Christmas and what gifts should be. <3 I love it!!
"I knew that I could give some gifts after all. I thought of something new every day for a week. At first I didn't think I could give some of them, and then I thought how selfish I was. I would have been willing to pay any amount of money for gifts if I had had it, but I wasn't willing to pay what I had."
The Falsoms' Christmas Dinner
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. What a sweet, humorous little story with excellent characters!
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "This is the best mince pie I have ever sampled," he told Alexina. "I am glad to know that I have a niece who can make such a mince pie."
Alexina cast an agonized look at Josie, and was on the point of explaining that she wasn't the maker of the pie. But Josie frowned her into silence.
"I felt so guilty to sit there and take the credit—your credit," she told Josie afterwards, as they washed up the dishes.
"Nonsense," said Josie. "It wasn't as if you couldn't make mince pies. Your mince pies are better than mine, if it comes to that."
The Unforgotten One
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. This sweet Christmas story left me in tears. I loved how much you got to know of the characters simply by what they said. They were so lovely, so living! This is just such a heartwarming and delightful story. <33
A Favourite Quote: "Say not good night, but in some brighter clime bid me good morning."
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: "...the night was mild and dim, with hazy starlight. A little wind was laughing freakishly among the firs around Ingleside and rustling among the sere grasses along the garden walks.... there was a light in every window of Ingleside, the glow breaking out through the whispering darkness like a flame-red blossom swung against the background of the evergreens."
Christmas at Red Butte
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. I love this little story! It’s so sweet and delightful and Christmassy. Theodora is just so sweet and I loved Donald too, and all the other characters. There were a couple mentions of Santa Claus but other than that it was pretty near perfect!
Uncle Richard’s New Year’s Dinner
4 stars & 4/10 hearts. Montgomery evidently liked this type of story, and she does it well. This one reminds me more of “The End of a Quarrel” from “Chronicles of Avonlea” than “The End Of The Young Family Feud” and other similar stories in these short story collections. I quite enjoyed it. Prissy is sweet and Uncle Richard isn’t awful. ;)
December 24, 2017
I love the feeling I had while reading this collection of short stories. I led discussions in a book club and in a book group online about the stories in this book. If you're looking for a collection of old-timey, feel-good books, then this one is for you! There are beautiful stories of love, friendship, family, forgiveness, gift giving, redemption, etc.
December 17, 2022
3.5 stars
(If not for the first story, I would have given this collection a full 4 stars.)
I have never read any of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s short stories, so I picked this up with interest. I almost didn’t keep reading though after the first story. It was awful! But I’m glad I decided to try another one. Here’s a quick look at my thoughts on each story in the collection.
The Red Room - Do NOT Recommend
Awful! Adultery and a murder in this short thing. Ugh. Not what I would think of as “Christmas”.
A Christmas Mistake
A mistake that leads to forgiveness. Made me smile. Though I do wonder how on earth such a man could teach!
A Christmas Inspiration
Sweet. I love the girls and what they did.
The Josephs’ Christmas
I love how all the children didn’t mind not having money, they were going to give gifts anyway.
Aunt Cyrilla’s Christmas Basket
I had to smile over this story. I just knew that Christmas basket would be useful!
The Osbornes’ Christmas
This is a dear story of making Christmas special for others.
Bertie’s New Year
So sweet. Bertie was just a dear.
Ida’s New Year Cake
I liked Ida even if I had my doubts about her at first.
The Christmas Surprise at Enderly Road
A good way to spread cheer and mend old feuds.
Clorina’s Gifts
A good reminder of what really matters to others.
The Falsoms’ Christmas Dinner
I’m still not quite sure how certain things could have all vanished at once if it was only one person, but no matter, things worked out just fine.
The Unforgotten One
Touching and sweet.
Christmas at Red Butte
I knew it! I just had a feeling and it made me smile when it happened.
Uncle Richard’s New Year’s Dinner
Such a fun little story. And I liked Uncle Richard.
(If not for the first story, I would have given this collection a full 4 stars.)
I have never read any of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s short stories, so I picked this up with interest. I almost didn’t keep reading though after the first story. It was awful! But I’m glad I decided to try another one. Here’s a quick look at my thoughts on each story in the collection.
The Red Room - Do NOT Recommend
Awful! Adultery and a murder in this short thing. Ugh. Not what I would think of as “Christmas”.
A Christmas Mistake
A mistake that leads to forgiveness. Made me smile. Though I do wonder how on earth such a man could teach!
A Christmas Inspiration
Sweet. I love the girls and what they did.
The Josephs’ Christmas
I love how all the children didn’t mind not having money, they were going to give gifts anyway.
Aunt Cyrilla’s Christmas Basket
I had to smile over this story. I just knew that Christmas basket would be useful!
The Osbornes’ Christmas
This is a dear story of making Christmas special for others.
Bertie’s New Year
So sweet. Bertie was just a dear.
Ida’s New Year Cake
I liked Ida even if I had my doubts about her at first.
The Christmas Surprise at Enderly Road
A good way to spread cheer and mend old feuds.
Clorina’s Gifts
A good reminder of what really matters to others.
The Falsoms’ Christmas Dinner
I’m still not quite sure how certain things could have all vanished at once if it was only one person, but no matter, things worked out just fine.
The Unforgotten One
Touching and sweet.
Christmas at Red Butte
I knew it! I just had a feeling and it made me smile when it happened.
Uncle Richard’s New Year’s Dinner
Such a fun little story. And I liked Uncle Richard.
April 4, 2018
A collection of cute and fun Christmas stories. They were simple and short, which made this a really quick read. The story that I liked best was Ida's New Year Cake. That one made me laugh.
December 30, 2020
A book full of warmhearted short stories full Christmas spirit. I absolutely adored it!
November 21, 2018
Lucy Maud Montgomery created my favorite literary heroine, Anne Shirley, so I was delighted to find this Kindle edition of some of her Christmas stories. These stories were originally published between 1898 and 1910. They seem to have been written serially (for a magazine perhaps, although I was unable to find anything online to substantiate my presumption.) Only one of the "Anne" characters appeared in any of these stories, Josie Pye in "Ida's New Year Cake" (1905). Perhaps if I had read them serially, I might have given a higher rating. As a collection, the stories are just too, too similar. Times were hard. The crops had failed. Men were out of work. Someone had quarreled. Children were either orphaned or had only one parent. There would be no Santa this year. Wait! There's a long-lost rich relative/friend. Or someone gave up something valuable. Boys got skates; girls got dolls. Children and adults alike shared nuts and candies and turkey. Everyone learned the true meaning of Christmas. That's all well and good for one or two stories. But at 14 it just became way too repetitive.
December 28, 2019
An absolute charming and sweet set of holiday stories by the author of the Anne of Green Gables set. I’m a natural born Scrooge this time of year, but these stories were better than any silly TV show or film. Published in the early 1900s, it reflects a spirit and humility rarely demonstrated in today’s society. I noticed a calmness I was developing and found myself more able to deal with the loudness and ostentatiousness of the season. Highly recommended!
December 15, 2017
This collection of Christmasy short stories was a very sweet way to get in the spirit of the season. I read this book using serial reader, so I got a wonderfully bite-sized dose of holiday cheer every morning. Each story was filled with hope and joy - bringing a smile to my face. I suspect I will happily read these stories again next year.
January 2, 2019
A delightful Book of 15 Short Stories based around Christmas celebrations, with the last one being set at New Year ..
They describe life during the end of the 1800's / early 1900's from a child's perspective .. all have that feel good factor of young life being full of exuberance and excitement ..
You are never far from being reminded though, that they are set in times when families relied on crops or sale of livestock for their income and how this affected the festivities they could afford .. Also, that this was a time when death of a parent or sibling was experienced from a young age ..
A Christmas Inspiration was my favourite .. reminded me of the years Anne Shirley boarded with other girls whilst she was away studying ..
Promotes that it is better to give at Christmas than to receive and that a gift should be from the heart and not just from a deep pocket ..
They describe life during the end of the 1800's / early 1900's from a child's perspective .. all have that feel good factor of young life being full of exuberance and excitement ..
You are never far from being reminded though, that they are set in times when families relied on crops or sale of livestock for their income and how this affected the festivities they could afford .. Also, that this was a time when death of a parent or sibling was experienced from a young age ..
A Christmas Inspiration was my favourite .. reminded me of the years Anne Shirley boarded with other girls whilst she was away studying ..
Promotes that it is better to give at Christmas than to receive and that a gift should be from the heart and not just from a deep pocket ..
December 31, 2018
Sweet, simple stories. For fans of L.M.Montgomery.
January 12, 2025
hoopla
Audiobook
this version does not have a professional feel to it which takes away some of the magic of the stories
Audiobook
this version does not have a professional feel to it which takes away some of the magic of the stories
December 23, 2018
A cute collection of stories. A bit similar in theme, but sweet.
October 27, 2018
Old-Fashioned Christmas Tales
I am showing my ignorance but I was not familiar with this author. I loved these old Christmas tales from the late 1800's and early 1900's. They all tell of hard times where money was tight and those that had gave to those that did not. Also of family loss through death or quarrel, and how things were reconsiled. Redemptive, simple, accepting of how little can be much. So unlike the world of today. A nostalgic look back!
I am showing my ignorance but I was not familiar with this author. I loved these old Christmas tales from the late 1800's and early 1900's. They all tell of hard times where money was tight and those that had gave to those that did not. Also of family loss through death or quarrel, and how things were reconsiled. Redemptive, simple, accepting of how little can be much. So unlike the world of today. A nostalgic look back!
December 18, 2016
This is a collection of stories, for the most part, that Montgomery had published in magazines in the early 1900s. They're simple, with pretty interchangeable plots and morals, but they're still fun to read, and almost every one contains at least a little of LMM's charm. The excerpt from "Anne of Green Gables" is a reminder that she'd write something with much more depth in just a few years.
December 18, 2016
A sweet collection of very L.M. Montgomery-ish little Christmas stories where all is put right in the end. This was a neat one to read via Serial Reader--one story doled out each day. I enjoyed them very much!
December 15, 2017
Delightful collection of Christmas stories by Lucy Maude Montgomery! I enjoyed all, but would definitely not call the final story, “The Red Room”, a Christmas tale. I would describe it more as a tragic, gothic piece of fiction.
December 24, 2016
Cute little Christmas stories, including an Anne Shirley story.
December 17, 2017
Great collection
This is a fun read during hectic December days. The short stories are just right for a soothing and joyful burst to your evenings.
This is a fun read during hectic December days. The short stories are just right for a soothing and joyful burst to your evenings.
May 24, 2018
14 short stories...............some enjoyable, some not so much. Still I think most Christmas enthusiast would find it interesting.
October 29, 2018
Quaint stories
Lovely tales of Christmas for the whole family to enjoy. I was not disappointed, and only wish there were more stories like it.
Lovely tales of Christmas for the whole family to enjoy. I was not disappointed, and only wish there were more stories like it.
December 27, 2025
This book of short stories is just right for all readers. I enjoyed this.
December 31, 2022
These Christmas stories reminded me of the stories I heard from my grandparents when I was growing up; simple but rich in the tradition of Christmas.
June 2, 2022
Charming collection
These tales provide a descriptive glimpse into the past before electronics and digital media, when people had to amuse themselves with taffy pulls and parlor games. And where else can one encounter words like "flummery?" Each story relates a different aspect of celebrating the holidays, and each brims with characters who discover the true holiday spirit. Ideal for anyone who likes Christmas stories from a simpler time!
These tales provide a descriptive glimpse into the past before electronics and digital media, when people had to amuse themselves with taffy pulls and parlor games. And where else can one encounter words like "flummery?" Each story relates a different aspect of celebrating the holidays, and each brims with characters who discover the true holiday spirit. Ideal for anyone who likes Christmas stories from a simpler time!
December 16, 2020
This was a sweet Christmas book of short stories. I enjoyed taking a quick break every day and reading these. I was happy Anne made an appearance and the story of the dress that Matthew bought her (with puffed sleeves of course) is an old favorite. The other stories were all very similar in theme to one another and were a little on the saccharine side, but it provided a nice escape.
December 29, 2019
It's LM Montgomery! At Christmas!!
Some of these stories are included in her collections of short stories so I had read them before, but having them all together in a Christmas edition is lovely. I wish someone would publish a pretty hardback of them!
Some of these stories are included in her collections of short stories so I had read them before, but having them all together in a Christmas edition is lovely. I wish someone would publish a pretty hardback of them!
January 23, 2022
This was a fun read for the Christmas season. It's age shows, but I think it's worth reading if you like Montgomery and Alcott. The first story was my least favorite and I'm glad I kept reading because I would have missed out on the other lovely, heartwarming stories.
December 11, 2023
L.M. Montgomery's Christmas stories are wholesome, sweet stories about family and community. They focus on charity and kindness around the holidays. If you're looking for a light classic for the holiday season, this is a good one.
December 7, 2024
I’ve loved everything LM Montgomery has ever written and her stories were a huge part of my childhood/adolescence. Some Christmas tales from a simpler time were just what my soul needed to start out the season.
November 22, 2020
Wonderful stories!
Aunt Cyrilla's Christmas Basket was my favorite, but they were all beautiful reminders of what the holiday should truly be about; family and gratitude.
Aunt Cyrilla's Christmas Basket was my favorite, but they were all beautiful reminders of what the holiday should truly be about; family and gratitude.
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