What do you think?
Rate this book
A Christmas Sampler
Sweet, Funny, and Strange Holiday Tales
Christmas is a time for love, laughter, and wonder. A Christmas Sampler: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Holiday Tales, is a compilation of twenty-three Christmas stories commissioned by the Bethlehem Writers Group to capture all of Christmas's myriad possibilities.
Paul Weidknecht's "Those Things Remembered" is about a long-time mall Santa who realizes he has forgotten a child's name. Courtney Annicchiarico believes against all evidence that she is pregnant in "Mis-conceptions." Hilarity reigns in Headley Hauser's explanation of a bachelor's Christmas traditions in "A Modern Single Holiday." In Carol L. Wright's "You Better Watch Out" a small-town lawyer takes on a mystery when Santa falls from her roof three weeks before Christmas. In "Walter and Stella," by Ralph Hieb, Walter finds himself dead on Christmas Eve, but refuses to leave his beloved alone for the holiday. And in "The Perfect Gift," Emily P. W. Murphy explores that moment in a relationship when one partner is ready for marriage, and the other seems not to notice.
This premier anthology also features stories by Jeff Baird, Carol A. Hanzl Birkas, Cindy Kelly, Jerome W. McFadden, Stanley W. McFarland, Sally Wyman Paradysz, Jo Ann Schaffer, and Will Wright.
These heartwarming, hope-filled, and hilarious tales will delight readers of any age.
The Bethlehem Writers Group is a community of mutually-supportive fiction and nonfiction writers who meet to perfect their craft in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, also known as: "Christmas City, USA."
Christmas is a time for love, laughter, and wonder. A Christmas Sampler: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Holiday Tales, is a compilation of twenty-three Christmas stories commissioned by the Bethlehem Writers Group to capture all of Christmas's myriad possibilities.
Paul Weidknecht's "Those Things Remembered" is about a long-time mall Santa who realizes he has forgotten a child's name. Courtney Annicchiarico believes against all evidence that she is pregnant in "Mis-conceptions." Hilarity reigns in Headley Hauser's explanation of a bachelor's Christmas traditions in "A Modern Single Holiday." In Carol L. Wright's "You Better Watch Out" a small-town lawyer takes on a mystery when Santa falls from her roof three weeks before Christmas. In "Walter and Stella," by Ralph Hieb, Walter finds himself dead on Christmas Eve, but refuses to leave his beloved alone for the holiday. And in "The Perfect Gift," Emily P. W. Murphy explores that moment in a relationship when one partner is ready for marriage, and the other seems not to notice.
This premier anthology also features stories by Jeff Baird, Carol A. Hanzl Birkas, Cindy Kelly, Jerome W. McFadden, Stanley W. McFarland, Sally Wyman Paradysz, Jo Ann Schaffer, and Will Wright.
These heartwarming, hope-filled, and hilarious tales will delight readers of any age.
The Bethlehem Writers Group is a community of mutually-supportive fiction and nonfiction writers who meet to perfect their craft in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, also known as: "Christmas City, USA."
- GenresChristmas
236 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2009
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 29, 2019
I bought this collection of short stories several years ago to support the members of the Bethlehem Writers Group who all contributed stories related to Christmas. When I bought the book, I understood that each writer was unknown to me, but the authors all were actively working at one of the careers I admire most, writing. I also bought the book to support one of my most favorite independent book stores, the Moravian Book Shop in Bethlehem, PA. I would visit the bookstore at least once a year, and during that visit, I noticed that the store was beginning to show signs that it might go the way of most independent bookstores. (I have been told the store is now owned by Moravian College and is operated by a giant bookstore chain that runs most college bookstores in the area. Sigh.)
I rate this book three, maybe three and a half, red and green stars because some stories of the 23 stories were great and some were not my cup of tea. I applaud the fact that this is not a straight-forward collection of your basic Hallmark-card, holiday-themed stories. There are a variety of types of stories, including fantasy, paranormal, inspirational and memoir, all with the holiday theme. I think this book contains the first vampire, Christmas-themed story I have read, and I liked it. (Fans of vampire stories may know of other stories involving a vampire trying to get through Christmas, but it's not my area of expertise.)
I really enjoyed the stories by Carol L. Wright, including You Better Watch Out, Nana's Chocolate Cake, and A Christmas on Nantucket . Each story had a surprise at the end that I was not expecting. I also enjoyed A Santa Story by Jerry McFadden, Off the Wagon and Onto the Sleigh and Wiseman by Emily P.W. Murphy and Mis-conceptions by Courtney Annicchiarico. Kudos to Emily P. W. Murphy for her editing efforts and for contributing most of the photos inserted between the stories.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading holiday-themed stories that you might not see anywhere else. I would be interested in reading other collections of stories by the Bethlehem Writers Group. I hope they are all still writing.
I rate this book three, maybe three and a half, red and green stars because some stories of the 23 stories were great and some were not my cup of tea. I applaud the fact that this is not a straight-forward collection of your basic Hallmark-card, holiday-themed stories. There are a variety of types of stories, including fantasy, paranormal, inspirational and memoir, all with the holiday theme. I think this book contains the first vampire, Christmas-themed story I have read, and I liked it. (Fans of vampire stories may know of other stories involving a vampire trying to get through Christmas, but it's not my area of expertise.)
I really enjoyed the stories by Carol L. Wright, including You Better Watch Out, Nana's Chocolate Cake, and A Christmas on Nantucket . Each story had a surprise at the end that I was not expecting. I also enjoyed A Santa Story by Jerry McFadden, Off the Wagon and Onto the Sleigh and Wiseman by Emily P.W. Murphy and Mis-conceptions by Courtney Annicchiarico. Kudos to Emily P. W. Murphy for her editing efforts and for contributing most of the photos inserted between the stories.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading holiday-themed stories that you might not see anywhere else. I would be interested in reading other collections of stories by the Bethlehem Writers Group. I hope they are all still writing.
November 12, 2011
A great collection of Christmas stories. There truly is something for everyone.
April 1, 2012
The book is a fantastic collection of Christmas stories in a variety of genres. I can't wait for a second book from this group.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews