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Jimsy: The Christmas Kid
This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.
68 pages, Hardcover
First published November 21, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 17, 2017
Such a sweet story that made my heart glow! It's a bit of "A Christmas Carol" mixed with "Anne of Green Gables" but instead of Christmas ghosts or freckled female orphans teaching closed-off old folks to open their hearts we have Jimsy, "the Christmas kid!", an orphan boy who has come to stay for the holiday with "the first-citizen" (the stodgy bank president who has so carefully set himself above everyone and certainly above Christmas festivities) and his wife ("Aunt Judith" who has such a need to give the love that is languishing and aching in her heart). As the book says, Jimsy takes it for granted that you'll like him -- but completely without arrogance, for he's the sort of dear spirit with a zest for life and unassuming kindness and generosity for others, despite his own hard lot. What I love is that he is not too goody-goody but just feels so real in his need to love and be loved and so earnest in his boyish ways to make friends. It's beautiful how easily Jimsy and Aunt Judith open their hearts to one another. Of course, the real test will be if the first-citizen can be moved and, of course, this being a happy Christmas story it's no surprise how things end. But it's such a sweet, fast read, by turns humorous and poignant, and filled with the spirit of Christmas, that I loved every minute despite the predictability. Free on Project Gutenberg.
December 21, 2013
This is a very sweet Christmas story about an orphan boy having his first Christmas in the country.
December 17, 2020
Almost a charming little Christmas tale. I really liked Jimsy, and the couple who took him in. The ending was so sweet and lovely. I smiled several times over things.
My biggest complaint was the number of euphemisms and swear words that were in the story. At least 16 of them in this short 8 chapter story. For that reason my rating is lower than it otherwise would have been.
My biggest complaint was the number of euphemisms and swear words that were in the story. At least 16 of them in this short 8 chapter story. For that reason my rating is lower than it otherwise would have been.
December 23, 2020
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. I loved this story since the first time I read it. It is so humorous and sweet and heart-tugging and has such a good message... and it's all wrapped up in Dalrymple's gorgeous writing. <33 Such a delightful Christmas story.
Content: Many instances of "gosh," "gee," "lord," and one "G*d."
A Favourite Quote: "Snow," he said discouragingly, for all he had determined to ignore the remark, "snow is always white." ....
"Naw," [Jimsy] said. "N'York snow's gray an' dirty. Specks said the snow we seen on the hills from the train winder was Christmas card snow, and with that the minister he up an' tells Specks an' me 'bout reg'lar old-fashioned country Christmases, fire like this an' Christmas trees an'—an' sleigh-bells an' gifts an' wreaths an' skatin' an' holly—"
"That," said Abner Sawyer with cold finality, "will be quite enough."
"Sure," agreed Jimsy. "A Christmas like that 'snuff fur any kid."
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: "Peggy flew off with a jingle of bells through the village, through the woods, through a Christmas eve twilight dotted now with homely squares of light shining jewel-wise among the snowy trees."
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "So the first citizen seated himself stiffly on the sled behind Jimsy, wondering what on earth to do with his legs. They seemed to have lengthened mysteriously and they looked astonishingly thin. Jimsy gave a wild Indian whoop of warning and the sled hurtled off down the hill, with the first citizen, unbelievably stiff-legged and frightened, clinging to his hat. His emotions were panoramic. There was panic first at his lost dignity—then wonder at their speed, but most of all his legs bothered him—his legs and his hat. He wished Jimsy would quit yelling....
"Ki-yi-yi-yi-whoop!" sang Jimsy, steering. Abner Sawyer gulped. Everybody on the hill, of course, was staring; his coat-tails were flying dizzily behind him. There would be a scandal and the directors of the Lindon Bank might even meet and call him to account. Small blame to them. Abner Sawyer mentally sketched a caricature of himself—coat-tails, legs and all—and Heaven help him!—lost his hat."
Content: Many instances of "gosh," "gee," "lord," and one "G*d."
A Favourite Quote: "Snow," he said discouragingly, for all he had determined to ignore the remark, "snow is always white." ....
"Naw," [Jimsy] said. "N'York snow's gray an' dirty. Specks said the snow we seen on the hills from the train winder was Christmas card snow, and with that the minister he up an' tells Specks an' me 'bout reg'lar old-fashioned country Christmases, fire like this an' Christmas trees an'—an' sleigh-bells an' gifts an' wreaths an' skatin' an' holly—"
"That," said Abner Sawyer with cold finality, "will be quite enough."
"Sure," agreed Jimsy. "A Christmas like that 'snuff fur any kid."
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: "Peggy flew off with a jingle of bells through the village, through the woods, through a Christmas eve twilight dotted now with homely squares of light shining jewel-wise among the snowy trees."
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "So the first citizen seated himself stiffly on the sled behind Jimsy, wondering what on earth to do with his legs. They seemed to have lengthened mysteriously and they looked astonishingly thin. Jimsy gave a wild Indian whoop of warning and the sled hurtled off down the hill, with the first citizen, unbelievably stiff-legged and frightened, clinging to his hat. His emotions were panoramic. There was panic first at his lost dignity—then wonder at their speed, but most of all his legs bothered him—his legs and his hat. He wished Jimsy would quit yelling....
"Ki-yi-yi-yi-whoop!" sang Jimsy, steering. Abner Sawyer gulped. Everybody on the hill, of course, was staring; his coat-tails were flying dizzily behind him. There would be a scandal and the directors of the Lindon Bank might even meet and call him to account. Small blame to them. Abner Sawyer mentally sketched a caricature of himself—coat-tails, legs and all—and Heaven help him!—lost his hat."
January 25, 2018
This could have been so cute and fun, but the language canceled all of that out. The cuteness of a city boy in the country could have been preserved through period slang without euphemisms and plain-out blasphemy and cursing. Too bad.
May 13, 2021
A sweet, and beautiful Christmas story written in Dalrymple's lovely style. It was a sweet story about an orphan boy finding his forever home. I always love the wrong characters... my favourite in this story was probably Abner Sawyer, although Aunt Judith WAS a dear!
There were several swear words in this short story, so beware of that. It did annoy and surprise me that Jimsy was never rebuked for swearing.
There were several swear words in this short story, so beware of that. It did annoy and surprise me that Jimsy was never rebuked for swearing.
January 18, 2018
Oh my gosh! I forgot I read this story. Look, I know you might be all "another orphan at Christmas story?" but Jimsy really gets into your heart as well as the hearts of the couple who get him on loan for the holidays.
December 23, 2025
Recenzie „Jimsy Magie de Crăciun” de Leona Dalrymple
„Jimsy Magie de Crăciun” este un volum din seria “Povești Clasice de Crăciun” scris de renumita scriitoare americană Leona Dalrymple, tradusă din limba engleză în română de Mira Velcea, publicată de Editura Litera, 2025. Cititorii se vor bucura de ilustrațiile lui Sally Darby. Povestea se axează pe Jimsy, un băiețel orfan, care ajunge în casa unui bancher sobru, Abner Sawyer și a soției lui Judith, pentru a petrece sărbătorile. Va reuși Jimsy să readucă spiritul Crăciunului în casa soților Sawyer?
Stilul scriitoarei este ușor de digerat pentru cititorii de toate vârstele, iar lumea creată de autoare ne reamintește de adevărata semnificație a Crăciunului și totodată se aseamănă cu filmul classic îndrăgit “A Christmas Story” (O Poveste de Crăciun).
Cititorii vor vedea lumea prin ochii unui băiețel orfan, a cărui suflet blând și generos reușește să aducă bucurie în sufletul părinților lui adoptivi temporari. Asemeni lui Tiny Tim din “O Colindă de Crăciun” de Charles Dickens, Jimsy reprezintă inocența, generozitatea, hărnicia, iubirea și altruismul. Învățăm de la el să fim recunoscători pentru ce avem, să fim practici și descurcăreți, să fim buni cu animalele și semenii noștrii, să trăim clipa și să nu judecăm niciodată o carte după copertă. Ne aduce aminte de copilăria adevărată.
Abner Sawyer ne amintește de așteptările ireale ale societății care ne fac să fim rigizi și să uităm de semnificația fericirii adevărate. „Lumina” și faptele bune ale băiatului reușesc să-i înmoaie inima înghețată în cele din urmă.
Bucuria, prietenia, loialitatea, speranța, iubirea și bunătatea sunt temele discutate de-a lungul poveștii. Recomand cu drag această carte cititorilor de toate vârstele.
Review for “Jimsy: The Christmas Kid” by Leona Dalrymple
“Jimsy: The Christmas Kid” is a volume from “The Christmas Classics Children’s Collection” written by renowned American writer Leona Dalrymple, translated from the English language into Romanian by Mira Velcea, published by Litera Publishing House in 2025. The readers will enjoy Sally Darby’s book illustrations that accompany the text. The story focuses on Jimsy, an orphan that is taken in by the sober banker Abner Sawyer and his wife Judith to spend the winter holidays. Will Jimsy manage to bring back the Christmas Spirit in the Sawyers’ house?
The writer’s writing style is easy to digest by readers of all ages and the world that she created reminds us of the true meaning of Christmas and there are also a few similarities with the beloved classic movie “A Christmas Story”.
The readers will see the world from an orphan boy’s perspective, whose kind generous heart manages to bring joy into the heart of his foster parents. Like Tiny Tim from Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”, Jimsy represents innocence, generosity, diligence, love and selflessness. We learn from him to be grateful for what we have, to be practical and resourceful, to be kind to animals and our peers, to live the moment and to never judge a book by its cover. He reminds us of the real childhood.
Abner Sawyer reminds of society’s unrealistic expectations that make us stern and to forget the meaning of true happiness. The boy’s “light” and good deeds manage to thaw the man’s frozen heart in the end.
Joy, friendship, loyalty, hope, love and kindness are the themes discussed throughout the story. I highly recommend this book to readers of all ages.
„Jimsy Magie de Crăciun” este un volum din seria “Povești Clasice de Crăciun” scris de renumita scriitoare americană Leona Dalrymple, tradusă din limba engleză în română de Mira Velcea, publicată de Editura Litera, 2025. Cititorii se vor bucura de ilustrațiile lui Sally Darby. Povestea se axează pe Jimsy, un băiețel orfan, care ajunge în casa unui bancher sobru, Abner Sawyer și a soției lui Judith, pentru a petrece sărbătorile. Va reuși Jimsy să readucă spiritul Crăciunului în casa soților Sawyer?
Stilul scriitoarei este ușor de digerat pentru cititorii de toate vârstele, iar lumea creată de autoare ne reamintește de adevărata semnificație a Crăciunului și totodată se aseamănă cu filmul classic îndrăgit “A Christmas Story” (O Poveste de Crăciun).
Cititorii vor vedea lumea prin ochii unui băiețel orfan, a cărui suflet blând și generos reușește să aducă bucurie în sufletul părinților lui adoptivi temporari. Asemeni lui Tiny Tim din “O Colindă de Crăciun” de Charles Dickens, Jimsy reprezintă inocența, generozitatea, hărnicia, iubirea și altruismul. Învățăm de la el să fim recunoscători pentru ce avem, să fim practici și descurcăreți, să fim buni cu animalele și semenii noștrii, să trăim clipa și să nu judecăm niciodată o carte după copertă. Ne aduce aminte de copilăria adevărată.
Abner Sawyer ne amintește de așteptările ireale ale societății care ne fac să fim rigizi și să uităm de semnificația fericirii adevărate. „Lumina” și faptele bune ale băiatului reușesc să-i înmoaie inima înghețată în cele din urmă.
Bucuria, prietenia, loialitatea, speranța, iubirea și bunătatea sunt temele discutate de-a lungul poveștii. Recomand cu drag această carte cititorilor de toate vârstele.
Review for “Jimsy: The Christmas Kid” by Leona Dalrymple
“Jimsy: The Christmas Kid” is a volume from “The Christmas Classics Children’s Collection” written by renowned American writer Leona Dalrymple, translated from the English language into Romanian by Mira Velcea, published by Litera Publishing House in 2025. The readers will enjoy Sally Darby’s book illustrations that accompany the text. The story focuses on Jimsy, an orphan that is taken in by the sober banker Abner Sawyer and his wife Judith to spend the winter holidays. Will Jimsy manage to bring back the Christmas Spirit in the Sawyers’ house?
The writer’s writing style is easy to digest by readers of all ages and the world that she created reminds us of the true meaning of Christmas and there are also a few similarities with the beloved classic movie “A Christmas Story”.
The readers will see the world from an orphan boy’s perspective, whose kind generous heart manages to bring joy into the heart of his foster parents. Like Tiny Tim from Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”, Jimsy represents innocence, generosity, diligence, love and selflessness. We learn from him to be grateful for what we have, to be practical and resourceful, to be kind to animals and our peers, to live the moment and to never judge a book by its cover. He reminds us of the real childhood.
Abner Sawyer reminds of society’s unrealistic expectations that make us stern and to forget the meaning of true happiness. The boy’s “light” and good deeds manage to thaw the man’s frozen heart in the end.
Joy, friendship, loyalty, hope, love and kindness are the themes discussed throughout the story. I highly recommend this book to readers of all ages.
December 16, 2017
It was the best. Book ever! She I read it, it made me think a lot about Christmas.
Definitely a good book to read for Christmas!🎄
Definitely a good book to read for Christmas!🎄
December 30, 2018
That was utterly adorable. Everything a Christmas short story should be!
December 27, 2023
✔️Published in 1915.
This was a fair book, and nothing to write home about.
🟢 Media form: Project Gutenberg .
This was a fair book, and nothing to write home about.
🟢 Media form: Project Gutenberg .
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews