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A Little House Christmas Treasury: Festive Holiday Stories: A Christmas Holiday Book for Kids
A gorgeous and festive collection of Christmas stories from the prairie!
Celebrate the season with holiday tales from the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the beloved Little House series. Featuring Garth Williams’ classic artwork in vibrant full color!
Celebrate the season with holiday tales from the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the beloved Little House series. Featuring Garth Williams’ classic artwork in vibrant full color!
139 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1994
28 people are currently reading
802 people want to read
About the author
Laura Ingalls Wilder
420 books5,381 followersIngalls wrote a series of historical fiction books for children based on her childhood growing up in a pioneer family. She also wrote a regular newspaper column and kept a diary as an adult moving from South Dakota to Missouri, the latter of which has been published as a book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
December 15, 2025
A wonderful and heartwarming compilation of Christmas stories from the Little House books. A beautiful reminder that time spent with loved ones is what makes the holiday season so special. Hard to pick a favorite but Christmas with Mr. Edwards tugs the hardest at my heartstrings.
December 10, 2025
Such sweet stories. I remember reading about Laura's family when I was younger.
December 26, 2018
This was a fun read for the holidays. I love how it had snippets of Christmas from each of the Little House books.
December 24, 2015
This is a perfect holiday read: a collection of Christmas passages culled from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series. Evocative of the warmth and love one can glean from just being together with family, these tales stir the heart and bring back memories of my own childhood - those spent as a kid at Christmas, as well as those of the pleasures these books (and the TV show) brought me. Plus, it really does put things into perspective. In our era of "stuff" and "more more more" it's nice to contemplate on children being thrilled to receive a pair of red mittens and a single peppermint stick on Christmas morn. 5 stars
December 13, 2025
Love Wilder's work, and it is needed these days more than ever to show us what truly matters in life - watching out for one another! Highly recommend!
October 9, 2012
I always love reading the Christmas stories in the Little House books because it makes me feel so warm and comfy -- as if I too could wake up to a fire crackling or fall asleep with my dad playing the fiddle. The stories always show what's really important (people arriving home through blizzards), and how a good Christmas can be had with just a few simple gifts (or pieces of candy!) rather than the spending spree it's turned into. I'll probably pull this back out in December too. It was great to read during a bad week, and brightened my evenings before bed.
July 23, 2020
These are some of the Christmas stories from the Little House books. They aren't exactly like the originals because they've been adapted, but they are very close.
I love being able to read the Christmas events of Laura's life without having to find them in the books. The illustrations are wonderful, and if you love the Little House books, you'll enjoy this book.
I love being able to read the Christmas events of Laura's life without having to find them in the books. The illustrations are wonderful, and if you love the Little House books, you'll enjoy this book.
December 8, 2009
This is a compilation of the Christmases from the Little House books. It is great to read with kids during the holiday season. Reading about how spare, yet happy, their Christmases were is a great way to take us both out of the mind-set of 'I want, I want, I want'.
December 22, 2017
The Christmas chapters of the Little House book were always my favorites mainly because of their simplicity and happy feeling they left you with after reading. This collection puts together some of the Christmases Laura Ingalls and her family had when she was growing up. Before each Christmas story there is a brief summary about how old Laura is, where the Ingalls family is currently living, and other events that happened that year. The pictures are from the original books but are in color instead of in black and white. This is a lovely book to read around Christmastime or if you're a Little House fan in general.
April 3, 2024
This book brought me back to my little childhood room in our little coach house next to Grandma and Papa's Big House, snuggled up in my beautiful canopy bed while my mom quietly read me Little House stories.
My favorite one has to be when Laura and Mary both get candy and pennies in their stockings, and their eyes shine bright. If I didn't already know I would be a horrible homesteader, this book would make me want to go live in a little sod home.
I cannot wait to read this to my own daughter one day.
My favorite one has to be when Laura and Mary both get candy and pennies in their stockings, and their eyes shine bright. If I didn't already know I would be a horrible homesteader, this book would make me want to go live in a little sod home.
I cannot wait to read this to my own daughter one day.
December 12, 2022
Got to enjoy this delightful book of Christmas stories with my girls this year. Each year of read-alouds is precious because I never know if it’ll be my last, but, I luckily got to squeeze this one in at ages 12 and 10. My 12 year old absolutely loved it, as she’s loved all of the “Laura” books we’ve read together since she was 6 💙
December 5, 2018
A fun collection of holiday tales from the Little House books. My girls (ages 6-10) loved it! If you've read the books, there's nothing new here, but it's still a fun bedtime read during the holiday season.
December 30, 2024
Collection of the Christmas stories from the first few books. Heart warming stories of family and community love and sacrifice. I especially enjoyed the illustrations by Garth Williams—cherished memories return when I see his illustrations.
December 15, 2018
Christmas in the Big Woods
They lived in a log cabin in the woods in Wisconsin. Laura is 4.
The snow was so high outside their house, Pa had to shovel a path to the barn. His beard and mustache frosted over. He whittled a shelf for Ma. Ma cooked salt-rising bread, rye'n'Injun bread, Swedish crackers, baked beans, and salt pork and molasses, vinegar pies, dried-apple pies, and cookies. She boiled molasses and sugar to make a syrup and Pa brought in snow and they made designs with the syrup in the snow and it hardened into pieces of candy. They had one then and saved the rest for Christmas.
I didn’t even know they had cousins, but they came to visit the Ingalls in a sleigh with bells and they had on blankets and buffalo robes, with coats, mufflers, veils, and shawls.
They would stand up on stumps and fall face first into the snow and make what they called pictures, and try to get up without ruining their imprint.
The little girls all slept in one bed and Peter had the trundle, and Aunt Eliza and Uncle Peter got Ma and Pa's bed while they slept on a bed on the attic floor.
They told a story of their dog biting their daughter's skirt and yanking her back when she went to get water, and growling at her. The mom thought he was crazy and that he should be shot and he wouldn't let anyone leave the house, but they found out later that a panther had been at the spring and he was protecting them. I actually got chills from that. It was powerful and I love stories where dogs save lives.
In their stockings Christmas morning they found mittens and peppermint sticks, and a rag doll.
Ma made pancakes in the shape of people.
Since they couldn't go outside they looked at pictures in the bible and Pa's book of animals.
For their journey, their cousins wore two sets of woolen stockings, one over their shoes. They had hoods, mufflers around their necks, and woolen veils over their faces. Ma put hot baked potatoes in their pockets and I've never heard of that custom. Aunt had flatirons heating up on the stove to put at their feet in the sled. They warmed the quilts and buffalo robes too.
Christmas on the Prairie: Mr. Edwards Meets Santa Claus
Laura is 6 and the Ingalls have moved to the Indian Territory, to a cabin on the prairie in Kansas. They worried Santa couldn't visit them because it didn't snow and they thought he needed snow to travel.
I knew this particular story from the show, and it was a good one when Mr. Edwards visited them for Christmas.
The girls would sew quilt blocks or cut dolls out of wrapping paper.
Pa got a turkey for Christmas. They wore red flannel nightgowns and night caps. For Christmas Ma hung one clean stocking of each of them on the mantel shelf.
Mr. Edwards carried his clothes above his heard when he swam across the rising creek. It was so sweet that Pa told him that it was too big a risk just for a Christmas dinner and Mr. Edwards said that Charles' little ones had to have a Christmas and no creek could stop him. He came up with a story that he had gotten their presents from Santa Claus. The story was so heartwarming; he went to so much trouble thinking up a story to give them a good holiday.
They got tin cups and peppermint sticks and white flour cakes with white sugar in the shape of hearts, and a penny.
They drank milk, and had rabbit stew and cornmeal mush. For dinner they had roasted turkey, and baked sweet potatoes, and salt-rising bread. They had stewed dried blackberries and cakes made from brown sugar.
Christmas on Plum Creek
They're living in a sod house on Plum Creek in Minnesota. Laura is 8. She worried that the house had no chimney or fireplace.
For Thanksgiving Pa had shot a goose and Ma had to stew it since there was no fireplace or oven. She made dumplings in the gravy, and corn dodgers and mashed potatoes, butter, milk, dried plums, and parched corn.
She talked of how they had 3 grains of parched corn beside their plates, because the Pilgrims only had 3 grains of parched corn until the Indians helped them.
It was sweet that Pa wanted a team of horses for Christmas so he could plant wheat and sell it. Of course Ma told him to be thankful that they were all here and warm and healthy with food for the winter. Laura said there wasn't a fireplace and mentioned Santa and Caroline told her to eat her supper and not cross bridges until they come to them. I felt bad for Laura!
She asked what the girls wanted and they said candy and a winter dress and a coat and hood and she mentioned what Pa wanted and that they should all wish for that. Laura didn't want to at first because horses were everyday things.
She also told them a unique spin on Santa, that he isn't just one man and he travels all over and goes down chimneys at the same time. And that Santa existed all the time, and when you're good you're Santa. And Santa could be everywhere on Christmas because everyone wasn't selfish and wanted others to be happy. If everyone wanted everyone else to be happy it would be Christmas all the time. What an interesting tale.
So it was so sweet when they thought about it and that night they told Pa they wanted to have horses for Christmas and it made him so happy. So they thought they wouldn't be getting anything else except horses for Christmas.
Her prayer was amusing. She prayed for God to bless her family and make her a good girl "for ever'n'ever." She even prayed for God to make her glad about the horses. It was sweet she was willing to wish for horses for Pa even though she wanted other things.
Ma had a button box and told them to make a button string for Carrie.
They got paper packages filled with candy. Ribbon candy that was wavy, and short, round sticks.
Pa brought along an ax so he could break the ice for the horses to drink.
Surprise
They were still at Plum Creek. They stayed inside but Pa was outside all day. Hauling logs, chopping them for the stove, and setting traps for muskrat, otter, and mink. They studied their books every morning and worked their sums on their slates.
To bathe they brought in the tub and heated water. Pa bathed in the bedroom.
They went to church, and they never went into town at night. There was a tree up front with streamers of green paper, sacks made of pink mosquito-bar with candy inside, packages in colored paper and tied with string, and silk scarves, red mittens, new shoes, a cape and muff, and popcorn strings. There were all kinds of things under the tree, like a washboard, wooden tub, churn and dashed, a sled, shovel and pitchfork.
Everything on it was a gift. The teacher and someone else who wasn't a character on the show took things off and read names. The kids all got the bags with candy and a popcorn ball. They got mittens. Ma got a plaid shawl and Pa got a muffler. Carrie got a rag doll. Mary got a little bible. Carrie also got a china dog. Laura got a china jewel box with a little teapot and cup and saucer. Laura ended up getting the fur cape and muff. Mary got a coat.
Reverend Alden asked about their gifts and if Mary's coat fit and if Laura liked her furs. He said his country girls would be warm. Carolina prompted Laura to say thank you but Laura couldn't speak, so overcome with the gift, and Alden said there was no need because her shining eyes was enough. He said she looked like a brown bird with red trimming and he'd tell the church back east about the brown bird. Their relationship seemed so sweet.
He'd told them about the church and they sent a Christmas box. Everyone gave what they had. Their gifts had come from girls who had outgrown the clothes.
Our Laura had felt boiling mad that stuck-up Nellie showed off in her cape, but now she had a prettier cape and a muff, which Nellie didn't have. That's our Laura!
The Fourth Day
They were still at Plum Creek. There was a bad blizzard and Pa had gone out before it but hadn't come back, and that was 4 days ago. They stayed in front of the stove in their shawls to stay warm.
Ma left a lamp burning in the window for Pa to see.
He had fallen through a hole into this little hollow area in the prairie and he fell asleep and was snowed in. He was starving and had to eat the oyster crackers he was bringing home for Christmas, and then he had to eat all of the candy he had been bringing home for them. He apologized but the girls didn't care, they were glad he had because it meant he was home with them. That was a touching moment.
It was cute that Pa sing a song and used the girls' names in it to tell them what to do, Mary to set the table and Laura to clean up after.
They had baked beans and corn bread on Christmas Eve and oyster stew on Christmas Day.
Most of all I liked learning about the traditions then. I also liked seeing how Christmas changed with each story as they got older. It had a lot of variety to it. It's crazy how they would be snowed in and wouldn't even know it was Christmas Eve or Christmas Day because they just had no sense of time.
It was from the perspective of an adult looking back on all of the magic a kid has for the holidays. Such a magical, wonderful time in history and Laura made it sound so wondrous even though they didn’t have much. Her parents made the holidays as good as they could for the kids.
I wish there had been even more details on the way of life back then. I wanted so much more about their schedules and goings-on. I was also surprised that Caroline seemed to be even tougher and prim and proper in the books than the show, getting onto Charles and the kids, telling them not to say certain things. Laura wrote that kids were supposed to be seen and not heard, and she only spoke when she was sure her parents are done speaking and that was an unwelcome surprise. I couldn’t imagine kids today not being valued for whatever they wanted to say at the dinner table or elsewhere and having to wait to speak. There was a song at the end and I didn’t really know why it was included. It was quite odd to flip the page and see a song we were supposed to sing. I don’t know anything music so I didn’t even know how it was supposed to be sang.
They lived in a log cabin in the woods in Wisconsin. Laura is 4.
The snow was so high outside their house, Pa had to shovel a path to the barn. His beard and mustache frosted over. He whittled a shelf for Ma. Ma cooked salt-rising bread, rye'n'Injun bread, Swedish crackers, baked beans, and salt pork and molasses, vinegar pies, dried-apple pies, and cookies. She boiled molasses and sugar to make a syrup and Pa brought in snow and they made designs with the syrup in the snow and it hardened into pieces of candy. They had one then and saved the rest for Christmas.
I didn’t even know they had cousins, but they came to visit the Ingalls in a sleigh with bells and they had on blankets and buffalo robes, with coats, mufflers, veils, and shawls.
They would stand up on stumps and fall face first into the snow and make what they called pictures, and try to get up without ruining their imprint.
The little girls all slept in one bed and Peter had the trundle, and Aunt Eliza and Uncle Peter got Ma and Pa's bed while they slept on a bed on the attic floor.
They told a story of their dog biting their daughter's skirt and yanking her back when she went to get water, and growling at her. The mom thought he was crazy and that he should be shot and he wouldn't let anyone leave the house, but they found out later that a panther had been at the spring and he was protecting them. I actually got chills from that. It was powerful and I love stories where dogs save lives.
In their stockings Christmas morning they found mittens and peppermint sticks, and a rag doll.
Ma made pancakes in the shape of people.
Since they couldn't go outside they looked at pictures in the bible and Pa's book of animals.
For their journey, their cousins wore two sets of woolen stockings, one over their shoes. They had hoods, mufflers around their necks, and woolen veils over their faces. Ma put hot baked potatoes in their pockets and I've never heard of that custom. Aunt had flatirons heating up on the stove to put at their feet in the sled. They warmed the quilts and buffalo robes too.
Christmas on the Prairie: Mr. Edwards Meets Santa Claus
Laura is 6 and the Ingalls have moved to the Indian Territory, to a cabin on the prairie in Kansas. They worried Santa couldn't visit them because it didn't snow and they thought he needed snow to travel.
I knew this particular story from the show, and it was a good one when Mr. Edwards visited them for Christmas.
The girls would sew quilt blocks or cut dolls out of wrapping paper.
Pa got a turkey for Christmas. They wore red flannel nightgowns and night caps. For Christmas Ma hung one clean stocking of each of them on the mantel shelf.
Mr. Edwards carried his clothes above his heard when he swam across the rising creek. It was so sweet that Pa told him that it was too big a risk just for a Christmas dinner and Mr. Edwards said that Charles' little ones had to have a Christmas and no creek could stop him. He came up with a story that he had gotten their presents from Santa Claus. The story was so heartwarming; he went to so much trouble thinking up a story to give them a good holiday.
They got tin cups and peppermint sticks and white flour cakes with white sugar in the shape of hearts, and a penny.
They drank milk, and had rabbit stew and cornmeal mush. For dinner they had roasted turkey, and baked sweet potatoes, and salt-rising bread. They had stewed dried blackberries and cakes made from brown sugar.
Christmas on Plum Creek
They're living in a sod house on Plum Creek in Minnesota. Laura is 8. She worried that the house had no chimney or fireplace.
For Thanksgiving Pa had shot a goose and Ma had to stew it since there was no fireplace or oven. She made dumplings in the gravy, and corn dodgers and mashed potatoes, butter, milk, dried plums, and parched corn.
She talked of how they had 3 grains of parched corn beside their plates, because the Pilgrims only had 3 grains of parched corn until the Indians helped them.
It was sweet that Pa wanted a team of horses for Christmas so he could plant wheat and sell it. Of course Ma told him to be thankful that they were all here and warm and healthy with food for the winter. Laura said there wasn't a fireplace and mentioned Santa and Caroline told her to eat her supper and not cross bridges until they come to them. I felt bad for Laura!
She asked what the girls wanted and they said candy and a winter dress and a coat and hood and she mentioned what Pa wanted and that they should all wish for that. Laura didn't want to at first because horses were everyday things.
She also told them a unique spin on Santa, that he isn't just one man and he travels all over and goes down chimneys at the same time. And that Santa existed all the time, and when you're good you're Santa. And Santa could be everywhere on Christmas because everyone wasn't selfish and wanted others to be happy. If everyone wanted everyone else to be happy it would be Christmas all the time. What an interesting tale.
So it was so sweet when they thought about it and that night they told Pa they wanted to have horses for Christmas and it made him so happy. So they thought they wouldn't be getting anything else except horses for Christmas.
Her prayer was amusing. She prayed for God to bless her family and make her a good girl "for ever'n'ever." She even prayed for God to make her glad about the horses. It was sweet she was willing to wish for horses for Pa even though she wanted other things.
Ma had a button box and told them to make a button string for Carrie.
They got paper packages filled with candy. Ribbon candy that was wavy, and short, round sticks.
Pa brought along an ax so he could break the ice for the horses to drink.
Surprise
They were still at Plum Creek. They stayed inside but Pa was outside all day. Hauling logs, chopping them for the stove, and setting traps for muskrat, otter, and mink. They studied their books every morning and worked their sums on their slates.
To bathe they brought in the tub and heated water. Pa bathed in the bedroom.
They went to church, and they never went into town at night. There was a tree up front with streamers of green paper, sacks made of pink mosquito-bar with candy inside, packages in colored paper and tied with string, and silk scarves, red mittens, new shoes, a cape and muff, and popcorn strings. There were all kinds of things under the tree, like a washboard, wooden tub, churn and dashed, a sled, shovel and pitchfork.
Everything on it was a gift. The teacher and someone else who wasn't a character on the show took things off and read names. The kids all got the bags with candy and a popcorn ball. They got mittens. Ma got a plaid shawl and Pa got a muffler. Carrie got a rag doll. Mary got a little bible. Carrie also got a china dog. Laura got a china jewel box with a little teapot and cup and saucer. Laura ended up getting the fur cape and muff. Mary got a coat.
Reverend Alden asked about their gifts and if Mary's coat fit and if Laura liked her furs. He said his country girls would be warm. Carolina prompted Laura to say thank you but Laura couldn't speak, so overcome with the gift, and Alden said there was no need because her shining eyes was enough. He said she looked like a brown bird with red trimming and he'd tell the church back east about the brown bird. Their relationship seemed so sweet.
He'd told them about the church and they sent a Christmas box. Everyone gave what they had. Their gifts had come from girls who had outgrown the clothes.
Our Laura had felt boiling mad that stuck-up Nellie showed off in her cape, but now she had a prettier cape and a muff, which Nellie didn't have. That's our Laura!
The Fourth Day
They were still at Plum Creek. There was a bad blizzard and Pa had gone out before it but hadn't come back, and that was 4 days ago. They stayed in front of the stove in their shawls to stay warm.
Ma left a lamp burning in the window for Pa to see.
He had fallen through a hole into this little hollow area in the prairie and he fell asleep and was snowed in. He was starving and had to eat the oyster crackers he was bringing home for Christmas, and then he had to eat all of the candy he had been bringing home for them. He apologized but the girls didn't care, they were glad he had because it meant he was home with them. That was a touching moment.
It was cute that Pa sing a song and used the girls' names in it to tell them what to do, Mary to set the table and Laura to clean up after.
They had baked beans and corn bread on Christmas Eve and oyster stew on Christmas Day.
Most of all I liked learning about the traditions then. I also liked seeing how Christmas changed with each story as they got older. It had a lot of variety to it. It's crazy how they would be snowed in and wouldn't even know it was Christmas Eve or Christmas Day because they just had no sense of time.
It was from the perspective of an adult looking back on all of the magic a kid has for the holidays. Such a magical, wonderful time in history and Laura made it sound so wondrous even though they didn’t have much. Her parents made the holidays as good as they could for the kids.
I wish there had been even more details on the way of life back then. I wanted so much more about their schedules and goings-on. I was also surprised that Caroline seemed to be even tougher and prim and proper in the books than the show, getting onto Charles and the kids, telling them not to say certain things. Laura wrote that kids were supposed to be seen and not heard, and she only spoke when she was sure her parents are done speaking and that was an unwelcome surprise. I couldn’t imagine kids today not being valued for whatever they wanted to say at the dinner table or elsewhere and having to wait to speak. There was a song at the end and I didn’t really know why it was included. It was quite odd to flip the page and see a song we were supposed to sing. I don’t know anything music so I didn’t even know how it was supposed to be sang.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2025
A favorite read around the holidays.
January 22, 2022
We all loved it and had different favorite stories.
December 26, 2018
Rating: 2.5
This was disappointing. The quality of the writing is horrible. The illustrations are cute tho.
Not as fun re-read of a childhood fave unfortunately.
This was disappointing. The quality of the writing is horrible. The illustrations are cute tho.
Not as fun re-read of a childhood fave unfortunately.
December 10, 2014
An annual tradition reminding us of how little is needed to create joy with gratitude in our hearts. These stories are sweet and gentle and provide contrast for the luxurious Christmas celebrations we enjoy today.
This year, I got to share them with my dear 7-year-old friend, Abby, who was fascinated by the idea of living in a dugout and sharing one room with 5 family members. She enjoyed the tender, loving family relationships and simple stories.
This year, I got to share them with my dear 7-year-old friend, Abby, who was fascinated by the idea of living in a dugout and sharing one room with 5 family members. She enjoyed the tender, loving family relationships and simple stories.
December 20, 2010
All of the wonderful Christmas chapters from the Little House on the Prairie series in one beautiful book, with the memorable charcoal sketches of Garth Williams included. Smooth cover that feels great in your hands. A must-have for the Christmas season!
December 29, 2011
A quintessential Christmas read - stories from several of the Little House books. They really help put in perspective the meaning of the season and what is truly important. It's sort of sad to see how materialistic and consumeristic we have become in the last century and a half. A-
December 12, 2012
This book has been a popular read for a few years now, ever since I read L.H. in the Big Woods to B. The stories tell of very simple Christmases (or big adventures/hardships) and the joy brought by very small gifts. It is a good reminder for us all, I think.
December 29, 2014
So sweet! This year we started a new tradition of reading one christmas each night leading up to the big day. It was a lot of fun, and having this made it easy. (We also added in Farmer Boy and Silver Lake -- wish if have thought to start sooner and get more in.)
January 7, 2009
Christmas is something always highlighted in the Little House books. A nice anthology to read to get in the Christmas spirit.
November 30, 2014
Wonderful way to stop and appreciate the bare, simple things of the holiday season. A refreshing break from the consumerism of today.
December 4, 2020
This edition makes for a lovely gift for any Little House devotee or just as a nice book to keep in your Little House collection. It includes 6 excerpts of Christmas tales from the Prairie, across the books.
The books included are:
Little House In The Big Woods
Little House On The Prairie
On The Banks Of Plum Creek
Farmer Boy
The Long Winter
These Happy Golden Years
I did feel like there were maybe one or two missing from the collection, specifically as Laura mentions in the last story, when Charles had been lost in the blizzard. The book is only 139 pages, so presumably they couldn't include every single mention of Christmas (and I do feel that I'm remembering some from the TV show as well.) Farmer Boy was always the weakest in the collection for me as well, so this excerpt was just OK.
This is a gorgeous hardback, with nice glossy pages, and colour illustrations from Garth Williams. Most of the pictures I have seen before, except in pencil drawings, from my mum's original copies of the books. It is nice to read in the run up to Christmas, and follow the Ingalls throughout the years, from when Laura was young, to when she's engaged to Almanzo. It will evoke happy memories of the reading the books as a child, and being all warm and cosy in front of the fireplace. Definitely a must have to add to your collection.
The books included are:
Little House In The Big Woods
Little House On The Prairie
On The Banks Of Plum Creek
Farmer Boy
The Long Winter
These Happy Golden Years
I did feel like there were maybe one or two missing from the collection, specifically as Laura mentions in the last story, when Charles had been lost in the blizzard. The book is only 139 pages, so presumably they couldn't include every single mention of Christmas (and I do feel that I'm remembering some from the TV show as well.) Farmer Boy was always the weakest in the collection for me as well, so this excerpt was just OK.
This is a gorgeous hardback, with nice glossy pages, and colour illustrations from Garth Williams. Most of the pictures I have seen before, except in pencil drawings, from my mum's original copies of the books. It is nice to read in the run up to Christmas, and follow the Ingalls throughout the years, from when Laura was young, to when she's engaged to Almanzo. It will evoke happy memories of the reading the books as a child, and being all warm and cosy in front of the fireplace. Definitely a must have to add to your collection.
October 14, 2025
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➕ My mom had never read any of the Little House books, but she loves the show. So we decided to read this collection aloud for Christmas. We began with the Christmas selection from Little House in the Big Woods, when Laura gets the doll Charlotte & cannot even move or speak because she is so in love with her doll. For Mom, that was the very best story. She said, “That was me with my doll at her age.” After that was the scene in Kansas with Mr. Edwards and the blizzard, then we moved on to Plum Creek, Nellie Oleson & the fur (one of my favorites), then my very favorites began as we moved to New York State and spent Christmas with little Almanzo. He is adorable! That story involved lots of snowball fights which inspired story-telling & memories between us of our own snow mischief. Then The Long Winter rolled in, & we spent Christmas with the Ingalls in May, with a Christmas barrel just arrived from the late train. Finally, we saw Almanzo & Laura kiss in the story that closes the collection.
Mom & I both agree this is our favorite of our annual reads to date, because it was so sweet, quiet and cozy. Our other favorite is of course our first, A Christmas Carol, which made me cry while reading.
➕ My mom had never read any of the Little House books, but she loves the show. So we decided to read this collection aloud for Christmas. We began with the Christmas selection from Little House in the Big Woods, when Laura gets the doll Charlotte & cannot even move or speak because she is so in love with her doll. For Mom, that was the very best story. She said, “That was me with my doll at her age.” After that was the scene in Kansas with Mr. Edwards and the blizzard, then we moved on to Plum Creek, Nellie Oleson & the fur (one of my favorites), then my very favorites began as we moved to New York State and spent Christmas with little Almanzo. He is adorable! That story involved lots of snowball fights which inspired story-telling & memories between us of our own snow mischief. Then The Long Winter rolled in, & we spent Christmas with the Ingalls in May, with a Christmas barrel just arrived from the late train. Finally, we saw Almanzo & Laura kiss in the story that closes the collection.
Mom & I both agree this is our favorite of our annual reads to date, because it was so sweet, quiet and cozy. Our other favorite is of course our first, A Christmas Carol, which made me cry while reading.
December 10, 2021
This book is a collection of Christmas stories gathered from the writings of Laura ingalls Wilder.
The stories begin when Laura is just 4 years old and progress as she gets older. The story is very as they move from place to place and tell of the dreams of two little girls who still believe in Santa.
The biggest takeaway here for me was that life was simplistic and that even when it came to Christmas gifts were often had but they were still simplistic like a piece of candy or woolen mittens. Maybe this is something that we should return to.
The girls were always grateful and Ma managed to introduce the girls to life's lessons. Christmas always came. Pa was always seen as the head of the household but also someone who worked hard and loved his family. These things about her family were sweet and I loved the family meant everything to them no matter what the circumstances.
Overall a sweet book that could be read year after year. 4 stars.
Disclosure: I purchased a copy of this book for my own collections. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours.
- Michelle
The stories begin when Laura is just 4 years old and progress as she gets older. The story is very as they move from place to place and tell of the dreams of two little girls who still believe in Santa.
The biggest takeaway here for me was that life was simplistic and that even when it came to Christmas gifts were often had but they were still simplistic like a piece of candy or woolen mittens. Maybe this is something that we should return to.
The girls were always grateful and Ma managed to introduce the girls to life's lessons. Christmas always came. Pa was always seen as the head of the household but also someone who worked hard and loved his family. These things about her family were sweet and I loved the family meant everything to them no matter what the circumstances.
Overall a sweet book that could be read year after year. 4 stars.
Disclosure: I purchased a copy of this book for my own collections. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours.
- Michelle
December 16, 2023
Mr. Edwards Meets Santa Claus is one of the stores in the above book. I remember seeing the TV version of this, too. On the Prairie, they were experiencing very heavy rains during that year; Laura was 6 years old and Mary was 8. They knew Santa Claus wouldn't be able to get through the floods that year with his sleigh. They also knew that their friend, Mr. Edwards, wouldn't be able to either. They went to sleep very sad; but the next morning came a knock on the door. It was Mr. Edwards who related the story of meeting Santa Claus on the way and how Santa left gifts for Mary and Laura with Mr. Edwards to take with them. This story is very heart warming and one I always cherished. A definite good read for yourself and children.
December 11, 2020
I was obsessed with these books when I was younger, and I found this one hiding in the basement. I remember reading this back in grade school and thinking it was boring, since I had just read the entire series cover to cover several times over. Now that it has been years since I've read any Little House books, I found this collection completely delightful. It's the Christmas chapters from several of the books and it really brought me back to parts of her story I had long forgotten. They were heartwarming tales of gratitude, grit, and familial love and all very nostalgic. I highly recommend if you're an adult who loved these stories as a kid!
December 20, 2020
Warning: for any families who “do Santa” one of the stories addresses Santa in a way that may bring up many questions. You may wish to skip or bring the story up at a particular time if you don’t want to spoil “Santa”. Tastefully done, and would be a great conversation starter on the topic, but I was glad to have read ahead because that isn’t a conversation I wanted to have with less than a week before Christmas lol.
The rest of the stories were sweet and it was engaging for our range of children (7-11). Always a clean and warm tale. These stories always help open conversations about simpler christmases and emphasizes the family aspect rather than abundance and extravagance.
The rest of the stories were sweet and it was engaging for our range of children (7-11). Always a clean and warm tale. These stories always help open conversations about simpler christmases and emphasizes the family aspect rather than abundance and extravagance.
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