Suggestions for feel-good Christmas stories?

Ea · 12-17-2009, 02:29 PM

Something light, humourous and/or romantic that feels like drinking hot chocolate and eating Christmas cookies after hours out in the cold & snow

For example, I've just finished 'Winter Solstice' by Rosamunde Pilcher and now I'm going to read 'High Spirits: A collection of ghost stories' by Robertson Davies.

(No Dickens, BTW, please - I've just never gotten along with him).

Sparrow · 12-17-2009, 02:48 PM

I enjoyed 'The Act of Roger Murgatroyd' by Gilbert Adair, a witty homage to 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd' by Agatha Christie.
The action takes place over Christmas, at a secluded country house cut off from the outside world by a snowstorm.

ardeegee · 12-17-2009, 04:00 PM

http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b9...e-Willis/?si=0

Ea · 12-17-2009, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparrow

I enjoyed 'The Act of Roger Murgatroyd' by Gilbert Adair, a witty homage to 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd' by Agatha Christie.
The action takes place over Christmas, at a secluded country house cut off from the outside world by a snowstorm.

Sounds like good fun. Doubt I can have them here before Christmas, but I've put them on my TBR-list

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardeegee

http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b9...e-Willis/?si=0

Sounds appropriately treacly. Thanks!

dreams · 12-17-2009, 04:23 PM

O. Henry's, The Gift of the Magi, is one I love!

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/ebooks.php

http://www.feedbooks.com/book/3504

Ea · 12-17-2009, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreams

O. Henry's, The Gift of the Magi, is one I love!

That's a dear one

It was also one of the stories in my 9th grade English Reader

- thanks for the links.

dreams · 12-17-2009, 04:30 PM

Holiday Magic By Diana Castilleja has seemed to have received high star reviews on Goodreads... I haven't read it , but have downloaded it for my mom's Reader. You may want to check it out..

(free ebook)

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/6537

desertgrandma · 12-17-2009, 04:43 PM

This one has been around for a while, a very quick read, but very heartwarming. I'm posting the link in order not to do something illegal.

http://bobsiwel.blogspot.com/2007/12...mas-story.html

MelC · 12-17-2009, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardeegee

http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b9...e-Willis/?si=0

Yay! Love Connie Willis, and another book added to my cart...hope that coupon still works

Mel

ardeegee · 12-17-2009, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MelC

Yay! Love Connie Willis, and another book added to my cart...hope that coupon still works

Mel

There is another Connie Willis Christmas story that IIRC came out after that collection and isn't included titled All Seated On the Ground. You can get it free here (just copy/paste it from the web site into your preferred format of course)

http://www.asimovs.com/_issue_0805/allseated.shtml

or you could buy if for A HUNDRED AND FORTY NINE FREAKING DOLLARS at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...ovssciencefiA/

Patricia · 12-17-2009, 08:00 PM

We've got a couple of older threads with links to Christmas stories:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33472
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...967#post302967

And so has Project Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Christmas_(Bookshelf)

Hoefully, there will be somethig to suit everybody.

BenG · 12-17-2009, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardeegee

There is another Connie Willis Christmas story that IIRC came out after that collection and isn't included titled All Seated On the Ground. You can get it free here (just copy/paste it from the web site into your preferred format of course)

http://www.asimovs.com/_issue_0805/allseated.shtml

All Seated On The Ground won the Hugo Award for Best Novella a couple of years ago.
Another good Christmas book is Wally Lamb's "Wishin' and Hopin'". It's a short, humorous novel that's a departure from his usual tragic stories.

http://www.amazon.com/Wishin-and-Hop...1107044&sr=8-1

carlobee · 12-17-2009, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreams

O. Henry's, The Gift of the Magi, is one I love!

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/ebooks.php

http://www.feedbooks.com/book/3504

Oh. I love this one!

MelC · 12-18-2009, 12:36 PM

Just so that I feel like I am contributing, Stuart McLean's Vinyl Cafe series (short story collections surriounding a fictional family) has several great Christmas stories the best and most infamous of which is "Dave cooks the Turkey". Makes me laugh every time I think about it. I have the CD collection too (entirely dedicated to the Christmas collection) as this series originates as a CBC radio show.

Mel

MikeRo · 12-19-2009, 12:09 AM

Since MelC brought up CBC Christmas stories (and I agree about Vinyl Cafe), how about Alan "Fireside Al" Maitland reading "Gift of the Magi" and Frederick Forsyth's "The Shepherd"? "The Shepherd" will definitely be on CBC's As It Happens on Christmas Eve, somewhere between 6:30 pm and 8 pm local time. It's been a Christmas Eve tradition for 30 years. They also often replay "The Gift of the Magi" sometime during the week leading up to Christmas. Keep checking the website: http://www.cbc.ca/asithappens/

I think "The Shepherd" qualifies as a feel good story and others have already mentioned "The Gift of the Magi". I have many a fond Christmas memory listening to both these stories over the years.

12-17-2009, 02:29 PM	#1
Ea Wizard Posts: 3,490 Karma: 5239563 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Denmark Device: Kindle 3\|iPad air\|iPhone 4S	Suggestions for feel-good Christmas stories? Something light, humourous and/or romantic that feels like drinking hot chocolate and eating Christmas cookies after hours out in the cold & snow For example, I've just finished 'Winter Solstice' by Rosamunde Pilcher and now I'm going to read 'High Spirits: A collection of ghost stories' by Robertson Davies. (No Dickens, BTW, please - I've just never gotten along with him).

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12-17-2009, 02:48 PM	#2
Sparrow Wizard Posts: 4,395 Karma: 1358132 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Device: Palm TX, CyBook Gen3	I enjoyed 'The Act of Roger Murgatroyd' by Gilbert Adair, a witty homage to 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd' by Agatha Christie. The action takes place over Christmas, at a secluded country house cut off from the outside world by a snowstorm.

12-17-2009, 04:00 PM	#3
ardeegee Maratus speciosus butt Posts: 3,292 Karma: 1162698 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: PRS-350	http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b9...e-Willis/?si=0

12-17-2009, 04:23 PM	#5
dreams It's about the umbrella Posts: 25,110 Karma: 56250158 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Sony 505\| K Fire \| KK 3G+Wi-Fi \| iPhone 3Gs \|Vista 32-bit Hm Prem w/FF	O. Henry's, The Gift of the Magi, is one I love! https://www.mobileread.com/forums/ebooks.php http://www.feedbooks.com/book/3504

12-17-2009, 04:30 PM	#7
dreams It's about the umbrella Posts: 25,110 Karma: 56250158 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Sony 505\| K Fire \| KK 3G+Wi-Fi \| iPhone 3Gs \|Vista 32-bit Hm Prem w/FF	Holiday Magic By Diana Castilleja has seemed to have received high star reviews on Goodreads... I haven't read it , but have downloaded it for my mom's Reader. You may want to check it out.. (free ebook) https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/6537

12-17-2009, 04:43 PM	#8
desertgrandma Enjoying the show.... Posts: 14,270 Karma: 10462843 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Arizona Device: A K1, Kindle Paperwhite, an Ipod, IPad2, Iphone, an Ipad Mini & macAir	This one has been around for a while, a very quick read, but very heartwarming. I'm posting the link in order not to do something illegal. http://bobsiwel.blogspot.com/2007/12...mas-story.html

12-17-2009, 08:00 PM	#11
Patricia Reader Posts: 11,504 Karma: 8720163 Join Date: May 2007 Location: South Wales, UK Device: Sony PRS-500, PRS-505, Asus EEEpc 4G	We've got a couple of older threads with links to Christmas stories: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33472 https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...967#post302967 And so has Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Christmas_(Bookshelf) Hoefully, there will be somethig to suit everybody.

12-18-2009, 12:36 PM	#14
MelC Evangelist Posts: 410 Karma: 2081 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Toronto, Canada Device: Cybook Gen3, PRS600	Just so that I feel like I am contributing, Stuart McLean's Vinyl Cafe series (short story collections surriounding a fictional family) has several great Christmas stories the best and most infamous of which is "Dave cooks the Turkey". Makes me laugh every time I think about it. I have the CD collection too (entirely dedicated to the Christmas collection) as this series originates as a CBC radio show. Mel

12-19-2009, 12:09 AM	#15
MikeRo Connoisseur Posts: 99 Karma: 15588 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Sony PRS-300, Kindle 3	Since MelC brought up CBC Christmas stories (and I agree about Vinyl Cafe), how about Alan "Fireside Al" Maitland reading "Gift of the Magi" and Frederick Forsyth's "The Shepherd"? "The Shepherd" will definitely be on CBC's As It Happens on Christmas Eve, somewhere between 6:30 pm and 8 pm local time. It's been a Christmas Eve tradition for 30 years. They also often replay "The Gift of the Magi" sometime during the week leading up to Christmas. Keep checking the website: http://www.cbc.ca/asithappens/ I think "The Shepherd" qualifies as a feel good story and others have already mentioned "The Gift of the Magi". I have many a fond Christmas memory listening to both these stories over the years.