Favorite Stories of Christmas Past

by Clement Clarke Moore, Nora Archibald Smith (Contributor), Louisa May Alcott (Contributor)

Tantor Media presents ten of the most popular Christmas stories read by award-winning narrators Renee Raudman and Alan Sklar. From "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," Clement C. Moore's classic depiction of St. Nicholas at work, to O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi," which embodies the very spirit of Christmas, Favorite Stories of Christmas Past has something for everyone.

Genres: Christmas, Short Stories, Fiction, Audiobook, Classics, Childrens, Holiday

Audible Audio

First published October 19, 2007

About the author

Clement Clarke Moore, (July 15, 1779 – July 10, 1863), is best known as the credited author of A Visit From St. Nicholas (more commonly known today as Twas the Night Before Christmas).

Clement C. Moore was more famous in his own day as a professor of Oriental and Greek literature at Columbia College (now Columbia University) and at General Theological Seminary, who compiled a two volume Hebrew dictionary. He was the only son of Benjamin Moore, a president of Columbia College and bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, and his wife Charity Clarke. Clement Clarke Moore was a graduate of Columbia College (1798), where he earned both his B.A. and his M.A.. He was made professor of Biblical learning in the General Theological Seminary in New York (1821), a post that he held until 1850. The ground on which the seminary now stands was his gift. [1] From 1840 to 1850, he was a board member of The New York Institution for the Blind at 34th Street and 9th Avenue (now The New York Institute for Special Education). He compiled a Hebrew and English Lexicon (1809), and published a collection of poems (1844). Upon his death in 1863 at his summer residence in Newport, Rhode Island, his funeral was held in Trinity Church, Newport, where he had owned a pew. Then his body was interred in the cemetery at St. Luke's Episcopal Church on Hudson St., in New York City. On November 29, 1899, his body was reinterred in Trinity Churchyard Cemetery in New York.

The Moore house, Chelsea, at the time a country estate, gave its name to the surrounding neighborhood of Chelsea, Manhattan, and Moore's land in the area is noted today by Clement Clark Moore Park, located at 10th Avenue and 22nd Street. The playground there opened November 22, 1968, and it was named in memory of Clement Clarke Moore by local law during the following year. The 1995 renovations to Clement Clarke Moore Park included a new perimeter fence, modular play equipment, safety surfacing, pavements and transplanted trees. This park is a popular playground area for local residents, who gather there the last Sunday of Advent for a reading of Twas the Night Before Christmas. [2]

Much of the neighborhood was once the property of Maj. Thomas Clarke, Clement's maternal grandfather and a retired British veteran of the French and Indian War. Clarke named his house for a hospital in London that served war veterans. 'Chelsea' was later inherited by Thomas Clarke's daughter, Charity Clarke Moore, and ultimately by grandson Clement and his family. Clement Clarke Moore's wife, Catharine Elizabeth Taylor, was of English and Dutch descent being a direct descendant of the Van Cortlandt family, once the major landholders in the lower Hudson Valley of New York.

As a girl, Moore's mother, Charity Clarke, wrote letters to her English cousins that are preserved at Columbia University and show her disdain for the policies of the English Monarchy and her growing sense of patriotism in pre-revolutionary days.

The Moore children have several living descendants among them members of the Ogden family. In 1855, one of Clement's daughters, Mary C. Moore Ogden painted 'illuminations' to go with her father's celebrated verse. A book with her paintings as illustrations is A Visit from St. Nicholas (Twas the Night Before Christmas). Copyright 1995 by International Resourcing Services, Inc., 60 Revere Drive, Suite 725, Northbrook, Illinois, 60062.

Reviews

[Tatevik · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very heartwarming collection of Christmas stories from different authors. I liked it a lot. Took me a while to finish it, but it was worth it. If you are looking for a good story to read near the fire with a kid, this is for you! Don’t forget hot chocolate!

The stories included are:
"'Twas the Night Before Christmas" by Clement C. Moore;
"The Story of Christmas" by Nora A. Smith;
"A Country Christmas" by Louisa May Alcott;
"An Empty Purse" by Sarah Orne Jewett;
"The Bachelor's Christmas" by Robert Grant;
"The Fir Tree" by Hans Christian Andersen;
"The Birds' Christmas Carol" by Kate Douglas Wiggin;
"Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus" by Francis Church;
"The Festival of St. Nicholas" by Mary Mapes Dodge;
"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry.

[Belinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,25 -English hardcover - recievd this book some years ago from Santa. Love to read it again with my hot Coco next to me. 😊🎄😊🎄😊

[Dee Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audible Plus 5 hours Narrated by Renee Raudman Alan Sklar (B)

A collection of eleven short or brief stories centered around Christmas day, The only two worth mentioning are A Christmas in the Country by Louisa Mae Alcott and The Batchelor's Christmas by Robert Grant. Both of these were well-written and entertaining. It also included The Gift of the Magi written by O.Henry; however, I had read this one many years years ago. This collection received 4 stars by Audible listeners.
I must also add The Bird's Christmas Carol by Kate Doglas Wiggins, author of one of my childhood favorites, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.

[Cathy Nunn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the stories were overwrought, others beyond sugary sweet. Maybe at Christmas. Maybe 150 years ago.

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Christmas stories seem to be heavy on the sentimental side - hence the two stars.( Does this make me a Grinch? I admit, O.Henry's "Gift of the Magi" has always irritated me, so if that's any indication of character, you've got me pegged.) Charles Dickens will always get my vote when it comes to Christmas stories, and he has loads of sentimentality - it's the kind I like, though. A lot of these were just mushy, especially the version of Luke 2, which was utterly insipid.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to the audio book version narrated by Renee Raudman and Alan Sklar.

I was hoping for some short stories that would put me in the holiday spirit. With the exception of a few, these stories are mostly downers or are slightly offensive (in the way women, country folk and the Irish are portrayed). I'm not sure who would consider these favorite stories today. I probably should have just stuck with A Christmas Carol for my Christmas fix.

[Thomas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a terrible book, but I was very disappointed with it. With a title of "Favorite" Christmas stories, you think that the stories are well-known. I am very well-read, but had only heard of two of the stories. Many of them were not particularly Christmasy. Mainly they just took place at Christmastime. If you want to read real Christmas stories, you should look elsewhere.

[Michael Delaware · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories such as "Yes, Virginia. There is a Santa Claus" and the ones by Hans Christian Anderson are what make this one worth it. There are a few others that I enjoyed, and a couple that I felt I could have done without as they were far too sappy. For the most part, I enjoyed this collection.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great read around the holidays - some religious and some secular stories that stir up good feelings for this glorious season. Most stories could be read in a family setting with young listeners.

[Scott Delgado · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice little collection of stories. Yes, a few of them read like a Johnny Cash Christmas album's lyrics (meaning they are depressing), but they still had the Christmas spirit.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. A couple of nice ones, but also some very syrupy ones and kind of depressing. Still, enough to keep my mind on Christmas, which is what I wanted!

[Kathleen Vincenz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice varied collection of stories. It ends with the Gifts of the Magi, which has to be the best Christmas story.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories are very varied in interest to the modern reader. Many are enjoyable and some quite moving too, while others seem, unfortunately, beyond their read by date.

[Holly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Before you yell at me, give me a second to explain, okay? I was born in December and my name is Holly — I promise you, I’d sooner be one of Santa’s elves than a Grinch. That said, as a collection this selection of short stories did not impress me. Were there good stories in the bunch? Absolutely. But there were also a lot of poorly-chosen stories, with an emphasis on the “Christmas past” part of the title. Stories typically had the same old time-y feel, and situated against each other, many of them lost some charm. Many reviewers complain that the collection is too saccharine. Others complain it is too sad. I’d contend that they’re both correct. I’m a firm believer that some of the best Christmas stories ever made involve melancholia and/or sadness — hello, Charlie Brown and It’s a Wonderful Life. However, the “depressing” stories here didn’t succeed the way those two do, and the “sweet” stories were far too syrupy.

There were good stories in the bunch, stories that individually I’d rate much higher than this. However, the bad stories dragged down my overall rating, and looking at it as a cohesive collection took it down further. I personally wouldn’t recommend this compilation.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have listened to many Christmas audio collections. Most of them have ended up a disappointment to one degree or another. But this one--with stories by Louisa May Alcott, Sarah Orne Jewett, Hans Christian Anderson, Kate Douglas Wiggin, Robert Grant, Mary Mapes Dodge, and O. Henry, among others--was absolutely lovely. Only one was new to me (Robert Grant's "Bachelor's Christmas", which immediately inspired me to buy the book in which it can be found) but the others were a welcome delight. (Except perhaps "The Gift of the Magi"--I still can't make myself love it.) They are all stories that would not be written now--full of sweetness (arguably a bit too much sweetness sometimes) and sorrow, but overflowing with hope and generosity, without a spot of cynicism to be found.

Update, 12/6/23:

A couple days after finishing the audio collection I started it again--this time with the girls. They did not perhaps love it as much as I did, but they very much enjoyed themselves. (K seemed to share my feelings about The Gift of the Magi--"But why didn't she just get him a book?") A great listen for the first week of Advent.

[Pat Koch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This audio contained some classic traditional Christmas stories, including: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, The Gift of the Magi, and Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus. Ir was fun to find them all in one place that could be easily listened to during the holidays.

[hissi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too religious for bed time stories

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are fun collections of stories

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some stories were better than others, but it was a nice Christmas collection.

[Julee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good compilation short stories from earlier years, but not a lot of diversity in settings and backgrounds. My favorite was probably Louisa May Alcott’s “A Country Christmas.”

[JP · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh some classics and some just meh

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these are great but many are not

[Bethany White · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed most of these. I enjoyed Louisia May Alcott's story the best.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the only audio book I had, so I popped it in on my drive back from New Jersey after Christmas. Several of these are very familiar (Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus; A Visit From St. Nicholas; The Gift of the Magi) but some of them were new. I was especially fond of The Empty Purse by Sarah Orne Jewett and The Bird's Christmas Carol by Kate Douglas Wiggin. Sentimental and predictable and touching, as good holiday stories should be.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed them...with the exception of the Fir Tree....I am a terrible sap (pardon the pun)...I don't like sad stories....as much as I love real trees in the house...it always made me sad they were cut down..and this story reminds me!

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite story in this collection was "The Empty Purse" by Sarah Orne Jewett.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Nice selection of Christmas stories some traditional most I have not heard before.

Clean and some dated which makes them fun in and of themselves.

[Angela Hursh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Full of all the best classics. It gives you a warm Christmassy feeling!!

[Stephanie P (Because My Mother Read) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to audio and didn't listen to all the stories in it, just the ones I was most interested in.

[Jeff Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice selection of Christmas stories from the traditional to those less known.