Christmastime is the most wonderful time of the year, for some at least. But it can also be the most stressful. Luckily, we have a way to get you into those feelings of comfort and joy in no time—besides streaming a holiday movie on Netflix or diving into a Hallmark film marathon, that is. We propose you grab your fuzziest Santa socks, put on a cozy onesie, and dig into one of the best Christmas books of all time.
Below, we’ve gathered old classics like The Nutcracker and Dickens tales; holiday romances prime for book club discussions; funny tales for fireplace reading; and kid-friendly choices for toddlers, babies, and beyond. After all, would it be a Christmas reading list without an appearance from the Grinch of Dr. Seuss’ heart-warming, slyly comedic children’s book?
We’ll be stocking our bookshelves with enough cheer that even Scrooge will want to read along. So, without further ado, get the pine-scented candles going, light the tree, find the most comfortable spot in the house, and read your way through these very merry Christmas books in 2020.
Letters from Father Christmas
From English fantasy author J. R. R. Tolkien, this calligraphy picture book would make just as much sense if it were titled Letters from Father Tolkien. Its filled with letters Tolkien wrote to his children every year at Christmas—all told from the from the point of view of either Father Christmas or a talking polar bear, and accompanied by the most whimsical illustrations. Bookworm tip: Make sure your tablet is capable of showing off the vibrant colors.
Mr. Dickens and His Carol
No one can resist a Dickens classic this time of year. Same goes for author Samantha Silva, who pens a comical and haunting offshoot tale based on the man who wrote A Christmas Carol. Not to be confused with The Man Who Invented Christmas, Silva’s version of the story goes a little something like this: As writer’s block sets in, Dickens heads to London for some inspiration. There, he goes on long walks, each scattered with the details that would become his Carol.
The Usual Santas
A group of crime-fiction writers, including Helene Tursten and Martin Limón, put pen to paper for a collection of short stories ranging from foreboding to heartwarming, but all centered on the immortal focal point of the holiday: Kris Kringle. The forward is written by British detective novelist Peter Lovesey, and each of the 16 globe-trotting caper tales take place somewhere else on the globe, be it Thailand, Copenhagen, or Korea. So when you need to get away, well, here you go.
The Deal of a Lifetime
A holiday novella from the New York Times best-selling author Fredrik Backman, The Deal of a Lifetime is a father’s story to his son, told over Christmas Eve. In it, a man finds he may be able to help a little girl dying from cancer in a hospital, but not before making amends with his own son first. It’s a story that manages to get to the heart of what the holiday means—sacrifice, forgiveness, and love—in less than a hundred pages.
Winter Street
Winter Street is author Elin Hilderbrand’s introduction to the Quinn family. Patriarch Kelley Quinn runs the Winter Street Inn in Nantucket, where his family will gather for the holiday—it’s also the epicenter for a few shattering revelations (read: love triangles, secrets, and federal fraud). As charming as it is dysfunctional, Winter Street is only your first stop in a series that includes four Christmas tales.
The Valancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories
Edited by Tara Moore, who precedes each spooky tale with a letter to its author (one of whom is Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle), The Valancourt Book has compiled 13 ghost stories from 19th-century, Victorian-era periodicals into one absorbing tome that begs to be read by a crackling fire—enough reading light permitting, of course.
Starry Night
In what reads like a Hallmark Christmas movie, Debbie Macomber writes about a columnist who makes a deal with her editor: If she can score the publication an interview with the recluse author of a best-selling surviving-in-the-wild memoir, then she will get to write the savvier news stories she wants to cover. And so the journey into the Alaskan wilderness over the holidays to track down a handsome Bear Grylls-type begins.
Hiddensee: A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker
Gregory Maguire really honed his spinoff skills when he whisked his loyal readers away to a land called Oz in his 1995 novel, Wicked. Two decades later, Maguire unleashed yet another award-winning, imaginative take on a beloved classic: Hiddensee is the enchanting story behind The Nutcracker. And it all begins with Drosselmeier, the one-eyed toymaker who will soon carve the legendary wooden bauble that will then lead Klara on her dreamy adventure.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Honestly, you could dust off any of your copies of the Harry Potter series this time of year, as the wizarding shenanigans typically take place in each novel around the Christmas holiday. But might we make a case for skipping right to book number three, The Prisoner of Azkaban? Not only do we meet Sirius Black for the first time, but the core players—Harry, Ron, and Hermione—grow up right there on the page. Plus, Dementors, the Marauders, and Hermione punching Malfoy make for a fun re-read.
Christmas in London
Calling all Great British Baking fans, Anita Hughes has a wintry holiday story that combines all your favorite things: London, cinnamon rolls, and reality TV. When Manhattan baker Louisa learns her gooey treats are a hit with a local production company, she’s recruited to join the team for their annual Christmas Eve dinner special filmed across the pond at the posh Claridge’s hotel. What could be more hallmark than that?
Comfort & Joy
Described as a “modern-day fairy tale,” best-selling author Kristin Hannah’s Comfort & Joy isn’t all just comfort and joy. There’s action and melancholy, in addition to love and second chances. When Joy heads to the Northwest for an impromptu holiday retreat, her plane crashes. She survives, then as fate would have it, takes off into the woods and eventually ends up in the arms of her soul mate.
Christmas on the Island
Set on the icy Scottish island of Mure, Jenny Colgan’s story will make you want to give that apple cider a second nuking; the frozen setting almost breezes from the pages. But don’t worry, it’s not all frigid. About a Highlands woman whose pregnant by her ex-boss and a Syrian refugee living without his wife in asylum, it’s a tale actually as warm as the spiced concoction in your mug. And bonus: The book has recipes for shortbread, scones, and black bread.
The Man Who Invented Christmas
Author Les Standiford writes of a time when the only seasons’ greetings Charles Dickens was receiving were those from dispirited debt collectors. Penning what would become a staple of holidays to come, Dickens offered his Christmas Carol as a last-ditch effort to save his career. And save his career, it did. There’s also an excellent, almost forgotten film adaptation starring Dan Stevens as the Dickens himself.
P.S. Your Cat Is Dead
An instant must-read from its title alone, playwright James Kirkwood’s holiday tale, which was adapted from his stage success of the same name, belongs to a guy whose holiday season has been the dumps. His best friend died, his girlfriend is on her way out, his cat is no more, and he has a burglar tied up in his kitchen. It’s a mess that will have you hooked from the very first chapter.
A Christmas Carol
You simply cannot have Christmas without Dickens. The classic story that tracks the transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge from greedy old miser to joyful kind chum through a series of supernatural visits has been adapted for every taste, genre, and demographic. But nothing beats the original novella as told by Sir Charles Dickens himself. Illustrator Yelena Bryksenkova is to thank for the whimsical artwork in this edition.
The Snow Queen
The Disney team behind Queen Elsa of Arendelle had some help. Loosely based on this Danish fairy-tale gem from Hans Christian Andersen, Frozen took its cues from Gerda and Kay, the characters at the center of Andersen’s story of good, evil, and deep snow. It joins The Fir Tree as some of Andersen’s most storied Christmas tales, and the illustrations here can’t be beat.
The Gift of the Magi
Unwrap the short story that puts the season’s gift-giving tradition squarely into perspective: A tale of love and sacrifice, The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry (pen name for William Sidney Porter) follows a married couple trying to navigate the Christmastime gift exchange on a seriously tight shoestring budget. And it ends, of course, with the signature irony O. Henry is famous for.
One Day in December
In the words of Reese Witherspoon, the founder of Hello Sunshine, “Get ready to be swept up in a whirlwind romance. It absolutely charmed me.” Couldn’t have described Josie Silver’s wintry tale of two people and 10 years of missed connections better ourselves.
A Treasury of African American Christmas Stories
This collection of stories written between 1880 and 1953 by African American authors was assembled by Bettye Collier-Thomas, an esteemed scholar for African American women’s history. The Treasury weaves in themes the holidays require—love, faith, and remembrance—with those it works to reject—racism, violence, and poverty.
A Christmas Memory
The author who served us Breakfast at Tiffany’s and In Cold Blood endearingly reminisces about baking fruitcakes with his elderly cousin-slash-best friend in a holiday memoir that serves as a love letter to Capote’s Alabama boyhood. It is also the only time we don’t pass on those often-loathed loaves.
A Child’s Christmas in Wales
A recollection of Christmases past, Dylan Thomas’s celebrated poem is a walk down nostalgia lane anyone can relate to. In a sort of stream of childlike consciousness, the poet recalls the holiday’s mistletoe decor, crackling fires, and steady snow. It was originally recorded for the radio, so consider going for the audio book.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Dr. Seuss plays holiday rhyme time with a furry red-eyed curmudgeon, and if the tale of redemption makes you cry, well we’re not judgin’. An unforgettable fantasy for those young and young at heart, Dr. Seuss’s comedic romp through Whoville has been adapted for every medium under the sun. But it’s the doc’s illustrated classic that remedies the season’s humbugs for us.
Hercule Poirot’s Christmas
Hunkering down with a hard-boiled Agatha Christie whodunit without a warm cuppa nog is a crime. So ladle up before diving into the British novelist’s merry little murder mystery that tasks the author’s most notorious detective with investigating a family reunion that ends in bloodshed. It’s fiction that is just the antidote to the inevitable overdose of good tidings brought on this time of year.
Last Christmas in Paris
All is fair in love and wartime epistolary dramas. From Hazel Gaynor, Last Christmas in Paris mixes fiction with non to reveal a love that blossoms during the horrors of WWI. As Evie watches her brother and his best friend leave for duty, she believes the three will reunite come Christmas and celebrate on the streets of Paris. But, of course, war has other ideas.
The Night Before Christmas
Ukrainian novelist Nikolai Gogol penned The Night Before Christmas in 1831, and though its title may sound familiar, it ’twas not the poem about creatures stirring or not stirring on Christmas Eve. Rather, Gogol’s classic is one of good and evil, as a blacksmith battles the devil for the heart of a beautiful woman.
The Nutcracker
Though celebrated each year as a whimsical, orchestral ballet tuned to Tchaikovsky, the original tale of The Nutcracker is actually a much spookier story. A delirious nightmare about a little girl who finds her toy soldiers at war with an army of mice, it’s a departure from Alexandre Dumas’s sweet-as-sugar plums version. And totally worth the read.
The Greatest Gift
A suicidal man perched on the edge of a bridge is interrupted by divine intervention. Sound familiar? That’s because Philip Van Doren Stern’s classic 1943 short story about a man named George who gets a glimpse of what the world would be like without him in it is the inspiration for another holiday mainstay: Frank Capra’s stalwart film starring Jimmy Stewart in the lead, It’s a Wonderful Life.
Royal Holiday
A seasonal gem from bestselling author of The Proposal, Jasmine Guillory, Royal Holiday is the festive jaunt across the pond anglophiles are looking for. When Vivian accompanies her daughter on a work project for the queen, she falls in love with royal staff member Malcolm. There are meet-cutes, mistletoe makeouts, and merry lovemaking in this novel inspired by Meghan Markle’s mom. We’ll remain hopeful for Best Man director Malcolm D. Lee’s film adaptation.
Celebrations
Celebrations is a capsule for some of acclaimed poet Maya Angelou’s most legendary verses, including her poem Amazing Peace, which she wrote and recited for the 2005 White House tree lighting event. Further inclusions are birthday sentiments for Oprah Winfrey and tributes to Luther Vandross and Barry White.
A Christmas Story
You’ve seen the 1983 film adaptation, but Jean Shepherd’s tale of a little boy who wants an “official Red Ryder, carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time” is, dare we say, funnier. A page-turning comedy, it’s an easy read best coupled with bunny slippers and takeout. And don’t worry: Reading from cover to cover won’t put your eye out.
Little Women
Though Louisa May Alcott’s novel spans the months that don’t include the holidays, Christmas does serve to bookend the story’s initial Part One. Originally published as two volumes, Little Women and Good Wives, the story begins with the March sisters enduring their first Christmas without their father and ends a year later when he returns on Christmas Day.
A Redbird Christmas
Calling all Hallmark friends. Take a break from the network’s endless stream of holiday movies and open Fannie Flagg’s feel-good fairy tale for grown-ups instead. You will not be sorry. About a man newly diagnosed with emphysema who moves from chilly Chicago to warm southern Alabama to live out his last Christmas, its pages are proof there is still kindness in humanity.
Seven Days of Us
Essentially The Family Stone in book form, Francesca Hornak’s weeklong reunion is a comedy of manners and dysfunction. Meet the Birches, an estranged family who are celebrating Christmas all under one roof—because they have to now that Olivia, a doctor who helped treat an epidemic overseas, has exposed them all to possible disease. Secrets, lies, and a surprise guest ensue.
This content was found at https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/tv-movies/g28737773/best-christmas-books/
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