The Christmas Hirelings

by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Jennifer Saunders (Narrator)

A heartwarming festive tale of redemption and cheer, The Christmas Hirelings is the story of a lonely widower who reluctantly invites a group of children to his manor for Christmas. It showcases the benefits of opening your doors and hearts during the holiday season.

About the Book
First published in 1893, The Christmas Hirelings is a delightful short tale of compassion and redemption. With his sole surviving daughter Sybil estranged, and his wife passed away, there is a deficit of Christmas cheer in the near-vacant country mansion of Sir John Penlyon. In an attempt to improve the festive mood, Sir John's good friend Mr Danby suggests that three children be 'hired' over the Christmas period in the hope of brightening the mood. After overcoming his initial reluctance, Sir John soon opens the doors of Penlyon Castle to Lassie, Laddie and little Moppet. Their arrival does more than signal the coming of Christmas however, as Sir John finds himself re-evaluating his past actions.

About the Author
Mary Elizabeth Braddon was a popular English author who earned success in the Victorian era with her sensation novels. Born in London in 1835, she was raised by her mother Fanny after her parents' separation. She began working as an actress as a teenager, but after eight years, and with declining popularity and waning interest, she instead turned to writing. Her prolific output resulted in over 80 novels, 150 short stories, as well as plays and articles. Braddon is best known for her novel Lady Audley's Secret, which combined elements of the detective novel, the psychological thriller and the romantic comedy to become one of the most successful novels of the 19th century.

About the Narrator
Jennifer Saunders is a national comedy icon and a much loved TV star. She has a host of awards to her name including five BAFTA Awards, two International Emmy Awards and four British Comedy Awards, to name a few. She is most well known for her French and Saunders comedy duo, Absolutely Fabulous and her work with Comic Relief. Jennifer's voice credits include Shrek 2, Minions, Stick Man, Sing and Moominvalley.

Genres: Christmas, Audiobook, Classics, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Holiday, Victorian

4 pages, Audible Audio

First published January 1, 1894

About the author

Mary Elizabeth Braddon was a British Victorian era popular novelist. She was an extremely prolific writer, producing some 75 novels with very inventive plots. The most famous one is her first novel, Lady Audley's Secret (1862), which won her recognition and fortune as well. The novel has been in print ever since, and has been dramatised and filmed several times.

Braddon also founded Belgravia Magazine (1866), which presented readers with serialized sensation novels, poems, travel narratives, and biographies, as well as essays on fashion, history, science. She also edited Temple Bar Magazine. Braddon's legacy is tied to the Sensation Fiction of the 1860s.

She is also the mother of novelist W.B. Maxwell.

Reviews

[Cindy Rollins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a free Audible Christmas offering with Richard Armitage and delightfully better than expected. Armitage not only has a melliflous voice himself, he does other voices even female voices without seeming ridiculous. The thing that heightened my attention was the ideas on educations which very much paralleled Charlotte Mason's ideas. It was so pronounced I looked up the author and found she was contemporary to Charlotte and also a mother of 6 along with being a stepmother. She is also the author of the famed Lady Audley's Secret which I vaguely remember reading.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this audiobook after seeing a review from one of my GR Friends.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

It was offered free with my Audible membership and is very short – a touch under 4 hours. I hadn’t read anything by the author before.

If you choose to read/listen to a Victorian Christmas story, you probably expect at least a dollop of sentimentality, and true to that expectation, author Mary Elizabeth Braddon ladles it on in this story. Its brevity means I won’t indulge in much description, but it is basically one of those stories where an old curmudgeon has to entertain some small children for Christmas. One particular child goes by the nickname Moppet. She is four years old and very precocious. To be honest, if I met Moppet in real life I would find her a bit too precocious.

There’s a sort of “twist” to the plot but it’s an obvious one. I’m not usually much good at guessing these things but even from a third of the way along it was easy to see where the story was going.

Be that as it may, I started this book in the expectation of it being a feelgood Christmas tale, and that’s exactly what the author delivers. It’s enough to put a smile on the face of even the most dyed-in-the-wool misanthrope!

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many thanks to my friend, Lynn, for pointing me toward this lovely, sweet Christmas story. I have long enjoyed Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s writing and I found this story very special. I was reminded of Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett and found it interesting that these two women were contemporaries and published their stories less than 10 years apart.

There is no doubt a case can be made for this story being predictable, overly-sentimental and blatantly Victorian–but what else could one want from a Christmas tale? I loved the character development and felt both Sir John and Tom Danby were marvelously drawn. Icing on the cake–it is set in Cornwall.

[Katie Lumsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

A completely delightful novella.

[Alice-Elizabeth (Prolific Reader Alice) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook via Audible!

I really enjoyed Jennifer Saunders' narration of a short, classic Christmas story originally published in the 1800s. Set during the bitterness of a cold winter, three young children from France arrive in England to stay in a grand old manor house. Events change and the youngest child Moppet falls seriously unwell, as everyone around her start to panic. Although there were some festive moments, there was a little disconnect for me in the sense of the story-line moving in a direction that I wasn't expecting it to go down. The pacing was quick and easy, good array of characters and another audiobook finished!

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this was written over 100 years ago, it felt timeless. The premise is some wealthy aristrocrats without younger family members hire 3 children to make Christmas more enjoyable. Moppet was adorable and totally stole the show.

[Kerri · Rating 4 out of 5]

After my dislike of A Boy Called Christmas left me feeling like a bit of Grinch, I'm pleased to say I greatly liked the next Christmas story I listened to. Read beautifully by Richard Armitage, I had a great time with it. It was predictable, but the characters were delightful and the story lovely, so I didn't mind that I knew what the ending would be before I'd finished the first chapter. I wouldn't mind a physical copy of this book, especially if it were illustrated. I wouldn't be surprised if this book ends up becoming a bit of a Christmas tradition for me.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so darn precious I just can't stand it! The descriptions of how tiny and round the children are, the classic story of a curmudgeon "redeemed" by a charming moppet- literally named Moppet! I don't understand why this Christmas book isn't more widely known! And the audiobook is read by Richard Armitage- perfection!

2024- I actually started crying over the ending of this today. It's just that good!

2025 - Just SO GOOD. We all listened to the audiobook together.

[Axl Oswaldo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christmas Read No. 1

My first pick for the Christmas season and it was what I was expecting and a little bit more: a cozy, warm, and sweet story, perfect for this moment, and with a beautiful message of forgiveness and love at the end.

This novel slightly reminded me of A Christmas Carol at the beginning, since we have a cantankerous, rich man, John Penlyon, who is not fond of Christmas and everything around this festivity. But then, one day, he accepts to invite children to his house, because according to his niece, Christmas is nicer and happier when there are children around you.
Therefore, three small children arrive at John’s large, old house, and thus, big changes are coming to stay forever.

I highly recommend listening to this book on Audible, since it’s performed by Richard Armitage and his voice is so accurate and ideal for this story; besides, he usually does different voices, for instance, depending on the character who is speaking or the event that is taking place.

In short, a beautiful Victorian novel to get yourself ready for Christmastime.
Go, go, go and pick this up as soon as possible! :)

“But don't be down–hearted, my pet; there are a great many Christmas trees blooming with toys and golden flowers to–night, and thousands of children dancing round them, just as happy as you..."

-----

P.S. Please, DON’T read the book description of this edition – it contains a lot of spoilers, and to be honest, I don’t understand why they decided to put them just like that.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly what I was looking for during this holiday season! Something sweet, sentimental, and with that old fashioned charm that I so adore in the writing of yesteryear.

Predictable - yes. But I wasn’t expecting otherwise. And of course you want a happy ending at Christmas.

I listened to the version read by Richard Armitage and thought is was perfect - remember him from the BBC’s North and South?

If you’re looking for just a quick little story to get you into the holiday spirit, I’d offer this one up for my recommendation.

Ages: 8+

Cleanliness: nothing to note.

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[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1894, this story falls within the Victorian period, and certainly reads like a Victorian melodrama. The author was considered a sensationalist, and for decades it was out of print. It has all of the twists and turns we have come to expect of Victorian writing, particularly Christmas tales. For this reader, it was not predictable and in fact, surprised me.
A free offering this month on Audible for members, it is worth a listen.

[Lis Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Victorian Christmas tale, and it's a good one.

Sir John Penlyon is spending Christmas with his niece, Adela, and his friend Thomas Danby, a makeshift family for the aging man with no closer family left to him. Long widowed, his older daughter died just a few years after her own marriage, with no children. His younger daughter married a penniless curate, in defiance of her father, and was of course disowned.

Adela mentions how dull a Christmas with no children is, and Sir John, a bit of a curmudgeon, says Christmas is pointless for a household without children. In short order, Danby has persuaded Sir john to agree to his scheme to hire some suitable young children to enliven their holiday.

In time for Christmas, Danby brings two little girls and a young boy, sweet, endearing children who do indeed enliven the holiday. The younger girl, Moppet, in particular, charms Sir John and endears herself to him.

But this is a Victorian Christmas tale, and Moppet, inevitably, falls dangerously ill. Sir John begins to think he made a mistake in opening his home and his heart. Also, of course, the origin of these children becomes a far more urgent matter. The question of whether a wounded and broken family can be healed becomes the center of this story.

It's very well done, and very moving. Recommended.

I received this audiobook as part of Audible's Audible Originals program, and am reviewing it voluntarily.

[Mahlon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let’s hire some children and give them a good Christmas… That’s a creepy concept even for 1895. But on the positive side Richard Armitage reading anything is always a treat.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and sweet, rather unlike most of Braddon’s stories! A cranky old rich Scrooge character agrees to humor his favorite houseguest by allowing him to invite some unknown children to spend Christmas with them in the spacious old mansion. You never know what Christmas miracles may happen when children are there to brighten up the home. I listened to this as a free download from LibriVox.org. First published in 1894.

[Antonomasia]

This Victorian Christmas tale may read as sweet or cloying, depending how you see it.

Audiobook versions, read by Jennifer Saunders or Richard Armitage, were free from Audible in 2018. I'm not sure what determined which narrator you got; at any rate, mine was Saunders - who is generally very good, though the way she does the male voices made me think of 90s sketch comedy. (And not just by French & Saunders or other female comics; also young male comedians doing older male characters with deep voices.) I haven't generally been able to listen to fiction in audio format, but this week I managed some, and so I put this on to get it out of the way, just before the twelve days of Christmas were over.

The theme is straight out of Charles Dickens: Christmas as a time for children, feasting, snow and family reconciliation - and the narrative actually references Dickens, whose cult as a sort of second Father Christmas was well-established by 1894, when this was published. (Mentions of snowy winters as something that happened more often in the old days - down to the waning of the Little Ice Age, already evident when Dickens was writing - to the days when Parliamentary reform had just happened, and to Sir John's grandfather who was around when the century was young, further evoke Dickens' frame of reference. There was clearly a formula for the Christmas story, as established by him, and Braddon was following it and being either postmodern or blatant about her inspiration, however you see it.) But all this is introduced by way of a curious scheme - Braddon had a reputation for creating inventive plots. The attention to plot, and reassuringly familiar patterns and character types that make up popular fiction is evident here, somewhat different from the more classic-classic 19th century fiction I've read. There were points in the first half when I thought it was going to turn into a sensation novel (like Braddon's most famous work, Lady Audley's Secret), especially when the diary is found - but it doesn't quite go there, it merely skirts it, instead making use of types of event found in Jane Austen and Dickens, as well as genre tropes. (Surely a top doctor wouldn't really have been free in London in December, able to travel hundreds of miles at the drop of a hat. But because it's convenient for the author and characters that he is, he is. Has anybody written stories about the cases Sherlock Holmes couldn't take because he was busy?)

Gothic and sensation fiction is known for exploring the psychological and social discomforts of its society. The Christmas Hirelings, though, seems to be an entertainment with less of this underlying - major issues are referenced in passing and without much depth. (Though perhaps there were things I didn't spot, with it being audio.) The entire setup - in which three members of the gentry in a country house decide, for Christmas, to hire some children from an impoverished middle-class family so that it will feel like a proper Christmas (specifically *not* poor working class children, as they won't have good manners) - says something very obvious about social status, exploitation and ideas of respectability, but it doesn't go any further with that questioning. One of the few other occasions this sort of thing comes up is when a child feels sad for the poor children who don't have Christmas trees, and an elderly gentleman half-jokingly calls her 'a little socialist". There are the usual background references to Empire and colonialism found in British novels of this vintage, like the very tip of an iceberg: the system of exploiting other countries that makes the main characters' opulent lifestyles possible; but this isn't a novel that does any more with that; India is an unhealthy place for minor characters to die, and Africa a means of generating similes about children and mud that may make a liberal 21st-century reader cringe.

There is something, though, about rights of women (within the upper class); it's lamented that a younger daughter of great character cannot inherit an estate merely because she's not a boy - and there is, in effect, a debate about girls' education where the author's opinion isn't spelled out. A formidable aunt is a proponent of women's education, and argues against the old theory that too much learning was bad for one's health. However, the Gradgrind governess she hires leads a regime that *does* seem to have been bad for their health - and one escape, clearly approved of by the author, is philosophy and poetry. Now, it's obvious that not all children suit all subjects and educational approaches, but this isn't spelt out by Braddon. (I'm not sure exactly where this debate was publicly in 1894, or if Braddon was interpreted as being conservative about it.)

Surely the silliest thing I tried to nitpick here was in asking if Sir John would really have behaved as he did, given his own then-recent (his daughters' childhood) and more distant past (his own youth). It seemed unlikely; it hardly made sense, like a plot device that got bolted on to a character who once had a separate genesis, and I questioned it. Until I realised that I have a relative of my own who has also lacked sympathy and understanding about something which, you'd have assumed from their past, they'd be an excellent person for.

The Victorian cult of childhood, idealisation and idolisation, is very much in evidence here (I'm not sure I've read anything in which it was quite so central since The Old Curiosity Shop, at least 25 years ago), and there's also none of that automatic suspicion of men who are fond of children that there would be c. 100 years later. It is easy to imagine a lurid horror version of The Christmas Hirelings setup in which such suspicion would be justified, thinking of Sarah Waters novels featuring sexual exploitation by wealthy Victorians. But it is all perfectly innocent here, which is nice. (I thought so, but cynics and satirists may be sceptical, mocking or bored.)

Your feelings towards this story may also depend on how you like precocious child characters and the word 'moppet'. If these things annoy you, you probably won't like The Christmas Hirelings, because they are such a big part of it. As it happens, pretty much the only child characters I like are precocious ones, and I loved the word anyway (I'd have liked to name a pet Moppet, but never had the chance) and have only had that liking enhanced by the story. Moppet dislikes adults calling children's bedtime 'Bedfordshire', as I was deeply irritated by other, similar diminutives as a kid (she seems to have a few aspie traits but none of the negative or disruptive ones), yet she bears a name that it's easy to imagine provoking a similar reaction in others.

There are a few nice little insights about children here, including a disquisition about going to bed, which made me wonder if children ever actually *want* to go to bed, or if they just accept it. (I can't remember, and in any case I don't know what it's like as a kid who isn't always concerned with getting away from a parent as much as they could.) Doubtless people with children, and children with different personalities will know.

The setup means that - unlike some stories set in a family household which are plain cloying and obviously an author's excuse for a thin fictionalisation of mundane observations of their own children which they, and some fellow parents, find cute - The Christmas Hirelings may also appeal to those who feel that children are nice as long as you can give them back at the end of the day.

The other big subject in The Christmas Hirelings is serious illness from respiratory infection, common in Victorian literature as it was common in life (one character in good health, whom I'd assume is about fifty, says "if I live so long", signifying an awareness of mortality as always possible). But at the moment - because it had been relatively uncommon for a long time and then became a very big deal in 2020 - this might be either a very good or a very bad book at the moment for some potential listeners. I bet someone at Audible is glad they released this when they did, and that they didn't have the project on the go when the covid pandemic started.

My impression of Victorian literature is doubtless too much of the big-name classics, and less of the minor, popular novels that made up a greater proportion of most people's reading at the time, and this was an interesting insight into the sort of thing I'd been missing. It doesn't feel all that consequential, and I'm glad it wasn't longer than it was (4 hours of audio) but I did find it rather likeable.

(5 January 2021)

[Carvanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook: Narrator - Richard Armitage

Wonderful narration of all characters, young and old, male and female. I would gladly listen to more by this narrator.

I didn't realize this was written 100 years ago until I pulled it up on Goodreads to post my review. Amazing! It reads like a historical, written today.

Sweet, heartfelt, Christmas story about everything that makes the season special. Although this is written to take place in a different time and era, it still reminds us of what the holiday is truly about. I loved every moment of this book but most definitely all that was Moppet and her adorable ways.

Not a romance.

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Christmas Hirelings by Mary Elizabeth Braddon and narrated by Richard Armitage is a delightful and touching story for the holidays. A couple of rich folks are discussing Christmas and how it is missing the Christmas season cheer. One is a very hard hearted man. The woman suggests renting kids, not too rich but not too poor. The other man said he had some relatives that would be perfect. So this is the story of the rented kids for a couple of weeks. Set back in time, but unsure when. Near London.
Narration was very good!!!

[Cathrine ☯️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 🎄🎄🎄🎄
Included with Audible membership, this was a short, sweet, sentimental, predictable, and perfect heartwarming story for the season. I listened to the whole thing in one go on a sleepless night.

[Anya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good surprise, expecially since it was a free Christmas gift from Audible. The story is sweet and simple, in the classic style of Dickens/Collins. The plot is quite predictable but still entertaining. I didn't know the author but I'll be probably reading something else from her in the future! The performance from Richard Armitage was obviously perfect, so overall a very good experience.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short and simple, feel-good Victorian novel, with no complex characters, nor much conflict, nor much of a plot. The trajectory of the story is evident very early on; nevertheless, seeing it play out is pleasantly diverting. Unfortunately, the ending was a disappointment. It was a happy one, as expected, but just a quick wrap-up. Braddon seems to have run out of steam, sighed ho-hum, and gone off to plan another novel. (According to Wikipedia, she wrote more than 90 in her career.) I listened to the well-narrated audiobook, which was a free holiday offering from Audible—a feel-good interlude in the day’s occupations.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a gem of a story! I loved it and will gladly return to it in future Christmases. I’m looking forward to discussing it with my Patreon group.

[Netta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too soppy even for the classy Christmas story of an old man redemption.

[Tatevik · Rating 4 out of 5]

An old fashioned and heartwarming story perfect for holidays!
It reminded me of Little Lord Fauntleroy.

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a precious book! This might become a yearly read for me in December ❤️

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awwww super sweet traditional Christmas tale - recommended for a feel good read.

[Terris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a sweet story about an old man whose Christmas has become very boring. When a friend offers to "hire" some children to liven up their Christmas holiday, the old man submits to the plan. Thereafter, the heartwarming tale describes how even the coldest of hearts can be warmed by a child! Though the story does have a twist (which you can kind of see coming) that comes to a head at the end, and, I don't think this will be a spoiler, "they live happily ever after." It has to end that way, doesn't it? It's a Christmas story written in 1894 -- I don't think there was a choice ;)
It really is a good book, especially nice to read during the Christmas season!

[OLT · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5 stars) Mary Elizabeth Braddon (1835-1915) was a prolific and popular Victorian sensation-novel author. I've read and enjoyed LADY AUDLEY'S SECRET (1862) and HENRY DUNBAR (1864) but had never heard of this Christmas novella until I saw it mentioned here on GR by Lady Wesley. (Thanks to you, milady.)

This is a story written long ago (1894) about a long-ago way of life and with a quaint-at-times and surprisingly modern-at-times style of writing. Curmudgeonly Sir John Penlyon will be spending Christmas with his niece and his longtime friend and frequent house guest Mr. Danby. Penlyon is a 70-something widower with one deceased daughter and one disowned daughter, so he has no immediate family to celebrate with.

The niece mentions that Christmas is so much merrier when there are children around, with their enthusiasm and excitement and love of the season, so Danby suggests to Sir John that he "hire" some children to celebrate with them.

Grudgingly, Sir John accepts the idea and Danby mentions that he knows the perfect set of children and sets off to fetch them. Okay. That's a somewhat absurd premise, you might say, but we all know what's going on here, right? And, in spite of how very old this story is (125 years old in 2019) it is charmingly written and is a lovely tale of redemption, forgiveness and opening your heart up to love.

I must mention one more thing about this story. It revolves around three young children, Moppet, 4 years old, and her somewhat older siblings, Lassie and Laddie. (Obviously not their real names, but, anyway...) Now, although I am a mother and grandmother and I do love my family, I can't say I'm usually interested in children-centric stories.

That said, Moppet was pretty darned adorable and it's obvious that Braddon knew a thing or two about kids. Well, considering she lived with a married man and his five children for more than a decade before his wife died and she was able to marry him and produce six more children with him, let's assume she liked children.

[Tarissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful vintage treat!

We meet a Scrooge type of man at Christmastime... He doesn't know it, but he needs some holiday cheer. Children have been vacant for far too long in his home, and he has forgotten the happiness that family brings.

The proposition? Some children should be hired to fill such a large, empty house with Christmas joy and laughter. If one has the money, why not?

A beautiful and heartwarming Victorian holiday tale. I could see this even being read aloud to young ones during the Christmas season.

One more note... The idea expressed about education are profound... The children who ran and played outside enjoyed much better health than any other kid in the neighborhood who had to study all day long... This is profound stuff, people, even if it is presented in such a sweet, simple way.

My opinion, overall? You should read it! It's definitely worth a read.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Narration: Oh please, it's Richard Armitage. ALL THE STARS IN THE UNIVERSE!!!!! Seriously, if it weren't for him, I probably never would've read this. The man's voice is just heavenly, and he's an amazing narrator.

Story: Meh. It was ok. Grumpy old man gets his Christmas miracle and learns what Christmas is all about.

[Franky · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, every year I try to include at least one Christmas novel in my December reading, and this year I chose this one because I had read a couple of other Braddon novels—which were more of the mystery variety-- and quite enjoyed them.

In her preface to her holiday novel The Christmas Hirelings, Mary Elizabeth Braddon speaks about her inspiration to write a Christmas novel geared towards children, but that adults could enjoy equally as well, and speaks about the process being a “labor of love” and how she used children who lived nearby as models for Moppet and the children present in the novel. She also speaks about how society sometimes gets so caught up in the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season so much that we sometimes lose sight of what really matters during this time.

The Christmas Hirelings, too, was quite enjoyable. It has a warm-hearted and quaint aspect to it. There is a charming atmosphere throughout, and it has the sentimentality of a Dickens tale. It involves a widower named Sir John Penlyon, who agrees to let his friend Mr. Dansby hire children to stay at the Penlyon place for Christmas to bring a little more merriment into the household. Sir John is at first skeptical, and while not completely a Scrooge, he has a bit of negative air about Christmas and is not very spirited at this time of the year.

We come to find via a series of flashbacks about Sir John’s present bitterness. He finds a series of journals from his late wife, who was quite devoted to him, and he realizes that he had through the course of their short marriage not only neglected her, but his two daughters as well. He feels a sense of regret and remorse about this. He also had a falling out with one of his daughters when she eloped with a man, and, as we return to the present, we realize that he still hasn’t spoken to her all these years.

Without giving too much away, when the three Christmas hirelings arrive, it really changes the entire atmosphere. One of the children, Moppet, comes in and really steals the show. Suffice to say, there are certain conflicts and revelations that come into play that Sir John must come to terms with to change his outlook.

I think as much as anything this story is about reconciliation, healing old wounds, forgiving past grudges, and renewing hope. While some aspects are quite predictable, there is quite a feel-good aspect to The Christmas Hirelings that makes it a wonderful read during this season. Is the story syrupy sweet and overly sentimental? Yes, of course. Still, though, it has a festiveness and spirit that will surely put the reader in a good mood. The Christmas Hirelings was a joy to read and another one to add to your holiday reads.