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More Christmas Stories, from Family Christmas OnlineTM
This page contains links to Christmas classics, as well as contemporary Christmas stories that are worth reading, and especially worth reading aloud to your family during the Christmas season.
We still have a long list of candidates to review in our search for Christmas-themed stories that are well-written, family-friendly, and - when possible - uplifting, or at least amusing. Since we respect other people's rights, we also work very hard to avoid publishing stories that are still under copyright, unless we have the author's express permission.
If you know of a story or six that we should include here, please contact
us, and we will be glad to check out your suggestions.
Note: If you're looking for actual books, we have listed a few recommendations in our Christmas Books page.
Classic Christmas Readings - These are not only stories about Christmas; they've also influenced the way we think about and celebrate Christmas.
 "A Visit from St. Nicholas" ('Twas the Night Before Christmas) - the poem that changed the way a nation saw St. Nicholas. Contains a history of the poem, illustrations, and links to other sites. |
 A Christmas Carol (by Charles Dickens) - The story that made compassion a part of the Victorian Christmas tradition. Our pages include illustrations and original abridged versions for reading aloud. |
 "The Gift of the Magi" (by O. Henry) - A famous Christmas-time tale with a twist, from a master story-teller. |
Original Christmas Stories - This section will contain stories that were written by family or friends for FamilyChristmasOnline.com. They are copyrighted so you can't publish them on your web sites or printed materials without permission, but you can print them off to read to your family.
 "Small Miracles" (by Shelia Race) - In this true story, a family that has just lost a beloved grandmother needs - and receives - a small extra blessing to get through Christmas. |
 "Ears to You - a Bunny Tale" by Shelia Race - A classic yard decoration gets the perfect friend. Yes, it's more of an Easter story, but we wanted to make sure you saw it. |
 "Light on a Snowy Day" (by Artie Knapp) - Children's story author Artie Knapp has "loaned" us this short story about a young girl who forms a bond with a fawn who must return to the wild. New for 2015! |
 "A Wish From Above" (by Artie Knapp) - Artie shares this short story about a special angel who gets one Christmas wish. |
 "Bipper and Wick" (by Artie Knapp) - A young bear who's not quite ready to hibernate makes a holiday friend. |
 "The Christmas Gombey" (by Cha'von K. Clarke) - A young boy in Bermuda secretly plans to join a ceremonial dance troupe during a Christmas Celebration. |
 "Wind Chime" (by Cha'von K. Clarke) - Names written on slips of paper, then released into the wind help strangers find healing on a Bermuda shoreline. |
Other Christmas Treasures - This collection contains other Christmas stories that we think are worth reading to our family. Many of these are by well-known authors, but are hard to find in print.
 "The Rabbits' Christmas Party" by Beatrix Potter. About a century ago, Bea Potter created a series of paintings showing rabbits having a Christmas party. She never wrote a story for it. Then the pictures were separated for almost a century. This version puts all of the pictures together in the same place and adds a simple story you can read to your children.
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 "The Tailor of Gloucester" by Beatrix Potter - The creater of "Peter Rabbit" retells a Gloucester folk tale, adding a sneaky cat, a horde of helpful mice, and stunning pictures. For the first time since 1903, Bea Potter's text is reunited with her original paintings. Great for reading to children.
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 "Babouscka, A Russian Christmas Story" (author unknown) - This early retelling of an Eastern European Christmas legend has been in my family for a century. Good for reading to children.
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 "Papa Panov's Special Christmas" (by Leo Tolstoy) - A retelling of a winter-time parable by a great Russion author. |
 "Why the Evergreen Trees Never Lose their Leaves" (by Florence Holbrook) - A charming fable by a prominent early-nineteenth century promoter of public education and women's rights. Great for reading to children. |
 "In the Great Walled Country" (by Raymond Macdonald Alden) - A fable about an imaginary nation of children and the lesson they learn about gifts and giving one Christmas. Great for reading to children. |
 "The Philanthropist's Christmas" (by James Weber Linn) - A wealthy man who "gives at the office" finds reward in giving face-to-face as well. Good for reading to children. |
 "The Story of the Goblins who Stole a Sexton" (by Charles Dickens) - Years before he wrote A Christmas Carol, Dickens incorporated this fable into the Pickwick Papers. Short enough to read to children, but not to the very timid. |
 "A Christmas Dream, and How it Came True" (by Louisa May Alcott) - By the author of Little Women - a jaded ten-year-old has a gentler, more charming version of Scrooge's experience. Good for reading to children, but a little longer than the two stories above. |
 "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" (by Arthur Conan Doyle) - A Sherlock Holmes story with a twist that involves a Christmas goose and a very rare stone that turns up in an unusual place. |
Scalawags' Christmas - This collection contains Christmas stories about rascals and roughnecks - they're not all warm and fuzzy, but they are family-friendly and clever and/or amusing.
 "Stubby Pringle's Christmas" by Jack Shaefer (the author of Shane) - A nineteenth-century Western cowboy on his way to a Christmas dance stops on the way to help a family in need. New for 2014! |
 "Christmas by Injunction" (by O. Henry) - A grizzled prospector's misguided efforts to bring Christmas to a mining town brings him an unexpected gift instead. |
 "Dancing Dan's Christmas" (by Damon Runyon) - A small-time hood's extravagant Christmas prank reaps unexpected rewards. Warning: Includes gangsters and excessive consumption of alcohol. |
 "A Chaparral Christmas Gift" (by O. Henry) - A gunslinger plots to take revenge on his romantic rival on Christmas Eve. |
 "The Cop and the Anthem" (by O. Henry) - Although this is not exactly a Christmas story, it often gets into Christmas collections because of the cold weather that starts the chain of events. In this story, a bum's cynical plan for getting through the cold winter months seems thwarted at every turn. |
Humor - This collection contains Christmas stories that are simply written to be funny.
 "Father Christmas" (by A.A. Milne) - The narrator blames a streak of extravagant gift-buying on a wooden Santa who comes to life in a toy store. |
 "The Making of a Christmas Story" (by A.A. Milne) - a hack writer creating a cliche-ridden Christmas story on a deadline argues with his editor. |
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Longer Readings - This collection contains Christmas stories that are worth a good "sit-down."
Conclusion
We hope you've enjoyed perusing our online library. If you would rather get your hands on some reading material, we have a few recommended products on our new Christmas Books page.
In the meantime, if you've been reading our pages, you know that we still have more planned and a lot on our plate, so keep checking back. And contact
us with any questions or suggestions you have in the meantime.
Paul and Shelia Race
www.familychristmasonline.com
Note: Family Christmas OnlineTM is a trademark of Breakthrough Communications(tm) (www.btcomm.com).
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Copyright (c) 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 by Paul D. Race.
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"Miranda's Christmas Visitor"
"The Staying Power of Sir Rohan" 
"Captain Eli's Best Ear" 
"Beasley's Christmas Party" 
"The Cricket on the Hearth" 
"A Country Christmas"