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Stories For Christmas
A thick dark green h/c with gold gilt page edges with a red satin ribbon for a book mark. Many stories by Charles Dickens.
478 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1862
42 people are currently reading
757 people want to read
About the author
Charles Dickens
12.6k books31.3k followersCharles John Huffam Dickens (1812-1870) was a writer and social critic who created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity.
Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.
Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction. Dickens's creative genius has been praised by fellow writers—from Leo Tolstoy to George Orwell and G. K. Chesterton—for its realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterisations, and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism. The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters.
On 8 June 1870, Dickens suffered another stroke at his home after a full day's work on Edwin Drood. He never regained consciousness, and the next day he died at Gad's Hill Place. Contrary to his wish to be buried at Rochester Cathedral "in an inexpensive, unostentatious, and strictly private manner," he was laid to rest in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey. A printed epitaph circulated at the time of the funeral reads: "To the Memory of Charles Dickens (England's most popular author) who died at his residence, Higham, near Rochester, Kent, 9 June 1870, aged 58 years. He was a sympathiser with the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of England's greatest writers is lost to the world." His last words were: "On the ground", in response to his sister-in-law Georgina's request that he lie down.
(from Wikipedia)
Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.
Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction. Dickens's creative genius has been praised by fellow writers—from Leo Tolstoy to George Orwell and G. K. Chesterton—for its realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterisations, and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism. The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters.
On 8 June 1870, Dickens suffered another stroke at his home after a full day's work on Edwin Drood. He never regained consciousness, and the next day he died at Gad's Hill Place. Contrary to his wish to be buried at Rochester Cathedral "in an inexpensive, unostentatious, and strictly private manner," he was laid to rest in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey. A printed epitaph circulated at the time of the funeral reads: "To the Memory of Charles Dickens (England's most popular author) who died at his residence, Higham, near Rochester, Kent, 9 June 1870, aged 58 years. He was a sympathiser with the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of England's greatest writers is lost to the world." His last words were: "On the ground", in response to his sister-in-law Georgina's request that he lie down.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
December 11, 2018
You have to love Dickens to make it through this huge volume of short stories. While I DO have great affection for this author, it's taken me a couple of years to finish. Dickens' flourid use of adjectives and alliteration are charming when taken in small doses, but a little grating in quantity. Thus, I found myself putting the book aside several times and returning for a fresh dose later.
This is a lovely keepsake edition, with a gold stamped front and ribbon marker. The print is jumbo sized, a facsimile of the 100+ year old original manuscript. This contributes to the "old tyme" feel of the stories and adds atmosphere to the reading.
Divided into three sections, the first contains Dickens' most famous Christmas stories: The Christmas Carol, The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth. Parts II and III contain lesser known short stories that were first found in the periodicals "Household Words" and "All the Year Round." Some of these related to Christmas, but many did not.
Two of the stories, "The Wreck of the Golden Mary" and "The Haunted House," were portmanteau stories ---- stories in which Dickens framed the beginning and end, but the middle chapters were contributed by other authors. Wilkie Collins had a part in both of these but alas! this edition of the book only contained Dickens' chapters. You have to refer to other editions to find the outsourced chapters.
Dickens seems sentimental by today's standards, but his love of children, compassion for the down-and-out, and his ability to create colorful characters is pure genius. There's a playfulness that belies the deep character issues portrayed by his skillful hand. Heartwarming and highly recommended, even if you only read Part I.
This is a lovely keepsake edition, with a gold stamped front and ribbon marker. The print is jumbo sized, a facsimile of the 100+ year old original manuscript. This contributes to the "old tyme" feel of the stories and adds atmosphere to the reading.
Divided into three sections, the first contains Dickens' most famous Christmas stories: The Christmas Carol, The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth. Parts II and III contain lesser known short stories that were first found in the periodicals "Household Words" and "All the Year Round." Some of these related to Christmas, but many did not.
Two of the stories, "The Wreck of the Golden Mary" and "The Haunted House," were portmanteau stories ---- stories in which Dickens framed the beginning and end, but the middle chapters were contributed by other authors. Wilkie Collins had a part in both of these but alas! this edition of the book only contained Dickens' chapters. You have to refer to other editions to find the outsourced chapters.
Dickens seems sentimental by today's standards, but his love of children, compassion for the down-and-out, and his ability to create colorful characters is pure genius. There's a playfulness that belies the deep character issues portrayed by his skillful hand. Heartwarming and highly recommended, even if you only read Part I.
December 21, 2025
Other than A Christmas Carol and two other short stories, the contents of this book are largely Dickens’ low-effort ephemera. While a small number of selections, again including A Christmas Carol and the two stories mentioned, are genuinely centered around Christmas, the rest are merely Christmas-adjacent at best, or in some cases have absolutely nothing to do with Christmas at all. These pieces appear to have been included simply to fill out the volume and make it commercially viable, rather than because they meaningfully belong in a Christmas collection. The end result reads less like a coherent Christmas anthology and more like a marketing construct assembled around a handful of genuinely seasonal works.
December 24, 2020
I didn't finish this beautiful book by Dickens, but decided to save the last two hundred or so pages of short stories until next Christmas. I highly enjoyed the short stories and tales I read, some of my favorites being "The Cricket on the Hearth" and "The Holly Tree".
December 2, 2017
I thought the book was fantastic. It was afterall Charles Dickens. I also was glad I read it during our holiday trip!
December 20, 2020
Actual Rating: 4.5
My first foray into Dickens writing (besides A Christmas Carol) and what a wonderful time it was :)
My first foray into Dickens writing (besides A Christmas Carol) and what a wonderful time it was :)
October 12, 2016
The edition I have of this book has an elegant cover and a nice bound bookmark. It might make a good gift for an avid reader who enjoys Dickens. That said, I started reading it but quickly realized that the stories are available for free on my Kindle, which is much easier to hold, so I did most of my reading there.
I read the first three stories, and now I've got enough Christmas spirit for this year. I think I'll read some more when the Christmas season comes again next year. Merry Christmas!
I read the first three stories, and now I've got enough Christmas spirit for this year. I think I'll read some more when the Christmas season comes again next year. Merry Christmas!
April 22, 2021
Christmas Stories
The Cricket on the Hearth
The Christmas Carol
The Chimes
A Christmas Tree
What Christmas Is As We Grow Older
The Child's Story
The Poor Relation's Story
The Schoolboy's Story
Nobody's Story
The Seven Poor Travellers
The Holly Tree
The Wreck of the Golden Mary
The Perils of Certain English Prisoners
Going into Society
The Haunted House
A Message From the Sea
Tom Tiddler's Ground
Somebody's Luggage
The Cricket on the Hearth
The Christmas Carol
The Chimes
A Christmas Tree
What Christmas Is As We Grow Older
The Child's Story
The Poor Relation's Story
The Schoolboy's Story
Nobody's Story
The Seven Poor Travellers
The Holly Tree
The Wreck of the Golden Mary
The Perils of Certain English Prisoners
Going into Society
The Haunted House
A Message From the Sea
Tom Tiddler's Ground
Somebody's Luggage
December 24, 2022
A few years ago I began reading this collection every Christmas. I always read the classic Christmas Carol. Also read one or two of the other Christmas stories each year. I love the wit and style of Dickens.
January 8, 2009
"‘The voice of Time,’ said the Phantom, ‘cries to man, Advance! Time is for his advancement and improvement; for his greater worth, his greater happiness, his better life; his progress onward to that goal within its knowledge and its view, and set there, in the period when Time and He began. Ages of darkness, wickedness, and violence, have come and gone - millions uncountable, have suffered, lived, and died - to point the way before him. Who seeks to turn him back, or stay him on his course, arrests a mighty engine which will strike the meddler dead; and be the fiercer and the wilder, ever, for its momentary check!’"
-The Chimes-
Why can't people write like that today?
-The Chimes-
Why can't people write like that today?
December 10, 2016
In 1849, after his five Christmas books, Dickens started writing two of his major novels, David Copperfield and Bleak House, and could find no time to continue the tradition of putting out a Christmas book every year. He then fell back to writing Christmas short stories, and did it more or less continuously in the following years.
I have read nine of Dickens's Christmas stories, six of them in English (published by epubbooks) and the other three in a Spanish translation. The most poignant was (for me) "The wreck of the Golden Mary," which ends in a totally unexpected way, but all of them are quite good.
I have read nine of Dickens's Christmas stories, six of them in English (published by epubbooks) and the other three in a Spanish translation. The most poignant was (for me) "The wreck of the Golden Mary," which ends in a totally unexpected way, but all of them are quite good.
December 27, 2008
I have never read A Christmas Carol. It is a favorite of Thomas S. Monson. He includes it in his Christmas treasury of books he reads every year. I didn't realize it is only 82 pages. It will be a nice story for Christmas Eve.
I loved it! I will save the other Christmas stories in the book for next year. Hope to read The Christmas Carol again and again and become familiar with the lines. I found the last chapter so touching. Very memorable.
I loved it! I will save the other Christmas stories in the book for next year. Hope to read The Christmas Carol again and again and become familiar with the lines. I found the last chapter so touching. Very memorable.
February 6, 2017
The first three books included in this volume are great and (except for The Chimes) fairly well known.
The shorter works that follow are less known and become more rambling and less Christmas-related as they go.
Disappointingly, at least three of these are incomplete. Two are clear as to why: they left out the chapters not written by Dickens. The other doesn't say why. In both, you feel like you've missed some major plot points.
It took a lot of effort to push to had end of this book.
The shorter works that follow are less known and become more rambling and less Christmas-related as they go.
Disappointingly, at least three of these are incomplete. Two are clear as to why: they left out the chapters not written by Dickens. The other doesn't say why. In both, you feel like you've missed some major plot points.
It took a lot of effort to push to had end of this book.
July 26, 2016
REVIEW FOR "A CHRISTMAS CAROL"
Reading this classic story is like eating a rich chocolate cheesecake. While small, it's best to be savored slowly in even bites. I recommend setting aside a few hours to experience this story from cover-to-cover, but don't read it too quickly! Just take your time to soak in the richness of the story we all know and love.
FINAL VERDICT: 4.5 stars
Reading this classic story is like eating a rich chocolate cheesecake. While small, it's best to be savored slowly in even bites. I recommend setting aside a few hours to experience this story from cover-to-cover, but don't read it too quickly! Just take your time to soak in the richness of the story we all know and love.
FINAL VERDICT: 4.5 stars
January 12, 2010
I'm glad I finally read this. We all know the story, but it was good to read the original.
July 31, 2019
Best line of Charles Dickens ever remained with me is "It is the best of times and it is the worst of times"
February 11, 2018
So the main Christmas stories that Dickens wrote (A Christmas Carol and The Cricket on the Hearth) I enjoyed immensely. However, the rest of the short stores that were included in this book were disappointing. Many of the stories come directly from other publications which means that sometimes, the original editorials had portions of the stories removed. This makes it challenging at times to follow along with Dickens. Also some of the short stores had multiple authors; one author wrote a chapter and then maybe Dickens wrote a few of the other chapters. Instead of including the chapters written by other authors the book edited them out and gave the reader a synopsis. This in my opinion took away from the brilliance of Dickens. All in all I would only read the stories that I enjoyed again and not the rest of this collection of Christmas short stories.
December 27, 2020
I did not read all the stories in this book yet but did read:
A Christmas Carol
How I have reached the age of 67 and have never read the story by Charles Dickens of A Christmas Carol I have no idea. I have watched many of the cartoons that have been made of the show since I was about 5...but to never have read the story...that is just shameful. Well, COVID provided me that opportunity this year...and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will indeed make it a plan to read each year and definitely want to say thanks to my son for giving me that extra kick during a facebook post (or some post) this year about taking the time to read it.
A Christmas Carol
How I have reached the age of 67 and have never read the story by Charles Dickens of A Christmas Carol I have no idea. I have watched many of the cartoons that have been made of the show since I was about 5...but to never have read the story...that is just shameful. Well, COVID provided me that opportunity this year...and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will indeed make it a plan to read each year and definitely want to say thanks to my son for giving me that extra kick during a facebook post (or some post) this year about taking the time to read it.
December 15, 2018
Charles Dickens can write something really good, but then can slip into something so tedious and boring to read. In this combination of multiple collections, "A Christmas Carol" stands out as an enjoyable read and a good story. A couple of other short stories are good, but the majority are, basically, wandering messes. The story "The Haunted House", for example, to begin with made me think that I was reading something by Mark Twain, humorous, fun, intelligent, but then finished up with a tangled mess that didn't really contribute anything.
December 19, 2022
I only read A CHRISTMAS CAROL. I am saving the next story for next year. I love this story so much. It's been a long time since I've read it and had forgotten so much. Most of the movies are about 75% direct from the book, with the other 25% screen adaptation. They do well to not stray off into weirdness. Recommended reading for all.
December 21, 2025
I love Dickens, but I can’t say I loved ALL of these stories. There were several that weren’t Christmas stories at all. Some weren’t complete: this volume only included chapters written by Dickens and were missing the middle chapters written by others. And some were downright odd. But you can’t go wrong with A Christmas Carol!
December 17, 2018
I enjoyed getting in the holiday spirit by reading Dicken’s classic tales for the Christmas season. A Christmas Carol is still the best.
March 27, 2022
Kinda intersting, but missing pages in this antique book. I was a fun diversion.
December 20, 2024
I must confess these are not my favorite but there were some parts that I did like.
January 24, 2024
I'm just so happy to report that I can finally say I did indeed read Charles Dickens' Christmas Stories. While I enjoyed A Christmas Carol, The Chimes, and The Cricket on the Harth, I started to nod off with the other stories and could hardly take it in.
January 4, 2012
A wonderful collection of stories, including Dickens's big three Christmas stories (A Christmas Carol, The Chimes, and The Cricket on the Hearth), and a series of shorter stories. Some of the shorter stories aren't really related to Christmas, or any type of Christmas theme (maybe they were just published at Christmas-time?), but all are interesting reads, and some are especially compelling. I had never encountered The Chimes before, and it is one of the most powerful literary works I've read.
December 28, 2021
I have re-read this book three times now.
My all time favourite Christmas story is A Christmas Carol. I grew up watching many different movie adaptations, a few years ago I was gifted this book and was thrilled, not only did it contain my favourite story, but it had other works by Charles Dickens too (which I've been curious to read). I love this book. Reading A Christmas Carol the way it was meant to be told, and discovering the other stories in it is beautiful. I think, though, you would have to be a fan of Charles Dickens to read through the book.
My all time favourite Christmas story is A Christmas Carol. I grew up watching many different movie adaptations, a few years ago I was gifted this book and was thrilled, not only did it contain my favourite story, but it had other works by Charles Dickens too (which I've been curious to read). I love this book. Reading A Christmas Carol the way it was meant to be told, and discovering the other stories in it is beautiful. I think, though, you would have to be a fan of Charles Dickens to read through the book.
Want to read
August 13, 20111) A Christmas Carol
2) The Chimes
3) The Cricket on the Hearth
4) A Christmas Tree
5) What Christmas Is as We Grow Older
6) The Poor Relations Story
7) The Child's Story
8) The Schoolboy's Story
9) Nobody's Story
10) The Seven Poor Travellers
11) The Holly Tree
12) The Wreck of the Golden Mary
13) The Perils of Certain ENglish Prisoners
14) Going into Society
15) The Haunted House
16) A Message from the Sea
17) Tom Tiddlers Ground
18) Somebody's Luggage
2) The Chimes
3) The Cricket on the Hearth
4) A Christmas Tree
5) What Christmas Is as We Grow Older
6) The Poor Relations Story
7) The Child's Story
8) The Schoolboy's Story
9) Nobody's Story
10) The Seven Poor Travellers
11) The Holly Tree
12) The Wreck of the Golden Mary
13) The Perils of Certain ENglish Prisoners
14) Going into Society
15) The Haunted House
16) A Message from the Sea
17) Tom Tiddlers Ground
18) Somebody's Luggage
December 20, 2010
I feel like I should get a medal for reading more than 800 pages of Dickens before Christmas!
Read
July 28, 2011Cricket on the Hearth is my favorite. I love Tackleton.
September 24, 2012
I read this book during the holidays and snuggle up with a blanket, one of the best classics!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews