The Magic of Christmas: 550+ Christmas Novels, Stories & Legends

The Magic of Christmas: 550+ Christmas Novels, Stories & Legends' is an expansive anthology that encapsulates the spirit of Christmas through a diverse array of literary styles. This collection brings together classic fables, profound novels, and captivating short stories, each piece weaving unique insights into the festivities, ethos, and cultural significance of the holiday season. The anthology stands out not only for its vast number of works but also for the variety it offers, ranging from the poetic meditations of Emily Dickinson to the vibrant narratives of Charles Dickens. The melding of different literary forms—be it the gothic romanticism of the Brothers Grimm or the witty dialogues of Mark Twain—creates a rich, textured literary tapestry that vividly illustrates the multifaceted nature of Christmas storytelling. The authors included in this anthology represent some of the most influential figures in literature, each contributing distinct perspectives shaped by their varied historical and cultural contexts. Figures such as Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky provide a starkly different cultural resonance compared to the works of Beatrix Potter or L. Frank Baum, highlighting the universal appeal and diverse interpretations of Christmas across different cultural milieus. The collection serves as a dialogue among giants of literary tradition, offering a panoramic view of historical and cultural narratives that have shaped the celebration of Christmas. 'The Magic of Christmas' is a treasure trove for readers seeking to immerse themselves in the yuletide spirit through a literary lens. It offers an invaluable opportunity to explore the evolution of Christmas narratives and their impact on popular culture. Educators, students, and casual readers alike will find this anthology a pivotal resource for understanding the breadth and depth of Christmas literature. The comprehensive range of stories and essays encourages a deeper appreciation for the dialogue between different cultural eras and artistic expressions, making it an essential addition to any literary collection.

More by Louisa May Alcott

Skip the list

570 books
Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott was born in 1832 in Germantown, Pennsylvania. She is best known for Little Women (1868), which is loosely based on her own life and proved to be one of the most popular children’s books ever written. Three sequels followed: Good Wives (1869), Little Men (1871), and Jo’s Boys (1886). Alcott was the daughter of the famous transcendentalist Bronson Alcott and was friend of Emerson and Thoreau. In addition to writing, she worked as a teacher, governess, and Civil War nurse, as well as being an advocate of abolition, women’s rights, and temperance. She died in 1888 and is buried in Sleepy Hollow cemetery in Concord, Massachusetts.
Read more
1526 books
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens was born in 1812 and grew up in poverty. This experience influenced ‘Oliver Twist’, the second of his fourteen major novels, which first appeared in 1837. When he died in 1870, he was buried in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey as an indication of his huge popularity as a novelist, which endures to this day.
Read more
422 books
O. Henry
William Sydney Porter—later to be known as O. Henry—was born in North Carolina in 1862. Known for his surprise endings and ability to capture the hope and pathos of ordinary people, Henry is best remembered for his stories about New York City. The Gift of the Magi was written in 1906, four years before his death.
Read more
1143 books
Mark Twain
Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in 1835, left school at age 12. His career encompassed such varied occupations as printer, Mississippi riverboat pilot, journalist, travel writer, and publisher, which furnished him with a wide knowledge of humanity and the perfect grasp of local customs and speech manifested in his writing. It wasn't until The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), that he was recognized by the literary establishment as one of the greatest writers America would ever produce. Toward the end of his life, plagued by personal tragedy and financial failure, Twain grew more and more cynical and pessimistic. Though his fame continued to widen--Yale and Oxford awarded him honorary degrees--he spent his last years in gloom and desperation, but he lives on in American letters as "the Lincoln of our literature."
Read more
310 books
Beatrix Potter
Helen Beatrix Potter was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist and conservationist; she was best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
Read more
1437 books
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest playwright the world has seen. He produced an amount of work; 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and 5 poems. He died on 23rd April 1616, aged 52, and was buried in the Holy Trinity Church, Stratford.
Read more
263 books
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811–1896) was an American abolitionist and author of more than 20 books, including novels, three travel memoirs, and collections of articles and letters. Her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) was a realistic account of life for African-Americans under slavery; it reached millions and became influential in the United States and United Kingdom.
Read more
162 books
Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson (1830–1886) was an American poet. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life, but today is considered to be one of the most influential poets in American history.
Read more
751 books
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson was born on 13 November 1850, changing his second name to ‘Louis’ at the age of eighteen. He has always been loved and admired by countless readers and critics for ‘the excitement, the fierce joy, the delight in strangeness, the pleasure in deep and dark adventures’ found in his classic stories and, without doubt, he created some of the most horribly unforgettable characters in literature and, above all, Mr. Edward Hyde.
Read more
652 books
Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling was born in Bombay, India, in 1865. One of the most revered writers in recent history, many of his works are deemed classic literature. To this day, he maintains an avid following and reputation as one of the greatest storytellers of the past two centuries. In 1907, he received the Nobel Prize for Literature. He died in 1936, but his stories live on—even eighty years after his passing.
Read more
629 books
Hans Christian Andersen
One of the most prolific and beloved writers of all time, Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen is best known for his fairy tales. Born in Odense, Denmark, in 1805, Andersen published his first story at 17. In all, he wrote more than 150 stories before his death in 1875.
Read more
494 books
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott was born in Scotland in 1771 and achieved international fame with his work. In 1813 he was offered the position of Poet Laureate, but turned it down. Scott mainly wrote poetry before trying his hand at novels. His first novel, Waverley, was published anonymously, as were many novels that he wrote later, despite the fact that his identity became widely known.
Read more
225 books
J. M. Barrie
J. M. Barrie (1860–1937) was a Scottish author and dramatist, best remembered today as the creator of Peter Pan.
Read more
413 books
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was born in Chittenango, New York, on May 15, 1856. Over the course of his life, Baum raised fancy poultry, sold fireworks, managed an opera house, opened a department store, and an edited a newspaper before finally turning to writing. In 1900, he published his best known book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Eventually he wrote fifty-five novels, including thirteen Oz books, plus four “lost” novels, eighty-three short stories, more than two hundred poems, an unknown number of scripts, and many miscellaneous writings. Baum died on May 6, 1919. He is buried in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, in Glendale, California.
Read more
329 books
Lucy Maud Montgomery
Lucy Maud Montgomery (November 30, 1874 – April 24, 1942), was a Canadian author best known for her series of novels beginning with Anne of Green Gables, which was an immediate success. The first novel was followed by a series of sequels with Anne as the central character. Montgomery went on to publish 20 novels as well as 500 short stories and poems. She was born on Prince Edward Island, Canada.
Read more
645 books
Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy grew up in Russia, raised by a elderly aunt and educated by French tutors while studying at Kazen University before giving up on his education and volunteering for military duty. When writing his greatest works, War and Peace and Anna Karenina, Tolstoy drew upon his diaries for material. At eighty-two, while away from home, he suffered from declining health and died in Astapovo, Riazan in 1910.
Read more
85 books
Henry Van Dyke
Henry Van Dyke (1928–2011) was born in Allegan, Michigan, and grew up in Montgomery, Alabama, where his parents were professors at Alabama State College. He served in the Army in occupied Germany, playing flute in the 427th Marching Band. There he abandoned his early ambition to become a concert pianist and began to write. In 1958, after attending the University of Michigan on the G.I. Bill and living in Ann Arbor, he moved to New York, where he spent the rest of his life. Henry taught creative writing part-time at Kent State University from 1969 until his retirement in 1993, and was the author of four novels, including Blood of Strawberries, a sequel to Ladies of the Rachmaninoff Eyes.
Read more

The Magic of Christmas: 550+ Christmas Novels, Stories & Legends

Authors:

Format:

Duration:

Language:

Categories:

More Favorite Stories of Christmas Past

Louisa May Alcott, Hans Christian Andersen, Charles Dickens, L. M. Montgomery, Henry Dyke

180 Masterpieces You Should Read Before You Die (Vol.1) : Leaves of Grass, Siddhartha, Middlemarch, The Jungle, Macbeth, Moby-Dick, A Study in Scarlet, The Call of the Wild, Huckleberry Finn,, The Way We Live Now, Sister Carrie...

90 Masterpieces You Must Read (Vol.1) : Novels, Poetry, Plays, Short Stories, Essays, Psychology & Philosophy: The Madman, Moby-Dick, Siddhartha, Crime and Punishment, Hamlet, Great Expectations, Little Women, Meditations, The Einstein Theory, Heart of Darkness, The Red Badge of Courage

A Classic Christmas Treasury. (12 Books) : A Country Christmas, Rosa's Tale, What the Bells Saw and Said, A Merry Christmas, and Others

Louisa May Alcott

50 Timeless Masterpieces (Volume 1) : Essential Classics for a Rich Literary Journey

Library of Masterpieces - 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime

The Greatest Feminist Classics in One Volume : Including 100+ Biographies & Memoirs of the Most Influential Women in History

100 Obras Maestras de la Literatura Universal

Santa's Library: 400+ Christmas Novels, Stories, Poems, Carols & Legends : The Gift of the Magi, A Christmas Carol, Silent Night, The Three Kings, Little Lord Fauntleroy…

The Big Book of Christmas Tales : Ultimate Anthology - Over 500 Christmas Tales, Novels, Poems, Carols & Myths

Little Women

Louisa May Alcott

Little Women

Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott

Charles Dickens

O. Henry

Mark Twain

Beatrix Potter

William Shakespeare

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Emily Dickinson

Robert Louis Stevenson

Rudyard Kipling

Hans Christian Andersen

Walter Scott

J. M. Barrie

L. Frank Baum

Lucy Maud Montgomery

Leo Tolstoy

Henry Van Dyke